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BORDER   TALES, 


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BOKDEE  TALES 

AROUND  THE  CAMP  FIRE,  IN  THE 
ROCKY  MOUNTAINS. 


BY 

CHAPLAIN   TUTTLE 

(U.S.  ARMY), 

AUTHOK   OF    "THE    BOl'S   BOOK   ABOUT   INDIANS.' 


IWO  ILLUSTRATIONS  BY  PHIZ. 


NEW  YORK : 
E.  P.  BUTTON  AND  CO. 

LONDON : 
SAMPSON  LOW,  MAESTON,  SEARLE  &  RIYINGTON. 

1878. 


I!  I     I'AI-  1    I  IhKAKY 


i-o^t 


|o  (^oiT  '    '  T 


TO   THE   MEMORY   OF 

WILLIAM   WELSH, 

THE     CHRISTIAN    PHILANTHROPIST 

WHOSE   GENEROUS  BENEFICENCE   AND   USEFUL   LABOURS 

IN   BEHALF   OF   THE   INDIANS 

HAS   MADE   HIS   NAME   DEAR   TO   THEM, 

AND     HONOURED    AMONG    MEN    EVERYWHERE, 

Efjts  Uolume 

IS   REVERENTIALLY    DEDICATED 
BY   THE    AUTHOR. 


V^lA^^'i,'     1 


INTRODUCTION. 


Boys  and  girls,  as  soon  as  they  begin  to  under- 
stand the  dangers  which  surround  the  early 
settlers  in  a  new  country,  are  never  more  diverted 
than  when  they  can  prevail  upon  some  one  of 
the  family  to  read  the  stories  of  wild  Indian  life 
as  told  by  American  travellers.  The  story  of 
Robinson  Crusoe  has  had  more  readers,  it  is 
thought,  than  any  other  adventures,  and  it  has 
stimulated  many  a  lad  to  leave  a  comfortable 
home  in  search  of  the  marvellous. 

The  lives  of  the  Puritans  who  sailed  from 
England  in  the  Mayflower,  and  landed  on  the 
bleak  coast  of  New  England,  have  a  lively  interest 
for  all  English-speaking  children,  because  they 
found,  upon  landing  at  Providence,  the  whole 
seacoast  swarming  with  native  Indians,  who 
were  under  the  control  of  a  great  warrior,  named 
King  Philip,  of  Pokomoket.     Besides,  there  were 


Vlll  INTRODUOTION. 

neighbouring  tribes  north  and  west,  living  as 
far  as  New  Amsterdam  (now  New  York)  and 
Buffalo,  on  Lake  Erie.  The  most  noted  chiefs 
were  Red  Jacket,  of  the  Chippeways ;  Thay-an- 
da-na-ga,  or,  as  the  English  named  him,  John 
Brandt ;  Tecumseh,  Logan,  and  others  of  various 
tribes. 

The  writer  was  born  in  Auburn,  N.Y.,  in 
1815,  where  the  Cayugas  once  roamed  at  large 
on  the  lake  of  that  name — the  Owasco  and  the 
Chippeway  tribes.  Besides,  there  were  other 
tribes,  such  as  the  Onondagas,  Senecas,  Oneidas, 
Mohawks,  Tuscaroras,  which  constituted  the 
Iroquois,  or  Six  Nations. 

The  story  begins  at  the  time  when  the  French 
had  possession  of  nearly  all  Upper  and  Lower 
Canada,  and  all  along  the  St.  Laurence  river. 

Before  entering  upon  the  romantic  history  of 
the  young  people  with  whom  the  writer  desires 
to  interest  his  readers,  he  should  here  explain 
his  purpose — to  preserve,  in  a  connected  form, 
some  matters  which  came  under  his  own  obser- 
vation, after  travelling  several  hundred  miles 
to  obtain  an  interview  with  such  noted  chiefs  as 
Eed  Cloud,  Spotted  Tail,  and  Sitting  Bull,  before 
the  Custer  massacre ;  and  to  weave  in  such  anec- 
dotes of  the  experience  of  himself  and  others  in 


INTRODUCTION.  IX 

the  U.S.  army,  as  will  give  a  good  account  of 
life  in  America,  apart  from  civilization — just  as 
one  may  string  a  necklace  with  pearls  and 
diamonds,  and  still  not  detract  from  its  beauty, 
but  only  add  variety  to  the  ornament. 

*'  How  came  yon  by  this  knowledge  ? 
By  my  penny  of  observation." — Old  Song. 

In  the  year  1700  the  American  army  was 
composed  of  raw  militia.  No  regularly  drilled 
soldiers  were  to  be  found  on  the  continent, 
except  such  as  belonged  to  the  British  Govern- 
ment, and  these  were  sent  over  to  garrison  forts 
before  the  war  of  the  revolution.  When  the 
colonies  rebelled,  and  war  was  declared,  the 
followers  of  General  Washington  came  from  the 
farms  and  workshops,  mainly  to  fight  against 
what  they  believed  to  be  acts  of  tyranny  in 
imposing  heavy  taxation.  At  night  these  rough 
and  poorly  armed  soldiers  would  gather  round 
their  camp  fires,  and  while  the  black  servants 
were  cooking  the  simple  fare  of  salt  pork  and 
corn  bread,  the  soldiers  passed  the  time  away  in 
relating  their  experience  in  felling  great  forest 
trees,  with  which  they  had  built  their  log  cabins ; 
and  how,  while  cultivating  their  newly  cleared 
fields  for  the  ripening  grain,  they  had  to  keep  an 


X  INTRODUCTION, 

eye  always  on  bears  and  wolves  prowling  along, 
and  to  have  a  loaded  rifle  at  hand  to  defend 
themselves.  Nor  only  so;  for  these  hardy 
pioneers  in  the  forest  were  subject  to  attacks 
from  the  Indians,  who  could  easily  spring  out 
from  behind  a  beech  or  an  oak  tree,  and  plant 
an  arrow  or  a  tomahawk  into  the  white  man 
before  he  could  say  "  Jack  Robinson ! " 

Who  was  most  to  blame  in  the  strife  which 
early  began  between  the  first  New  England 
settlers  and  the  Indians,  there  is  little  doubt. 
The  Indians  brought  presents  to  the  pale-faces 
when  they  landed,  of  parched  corn,  wampum, 
beads,  and  venison;  but  they  soon  found  that 
they  were  obliged  to  give  up  mile  after  mile 
of  their  native  lands,  to  satisfy  the  greed  of 
men  who  said  they  were  anxious  to  make 
Christians  of  the  poor  pagans.  How  different 
William  Penn  acted  with  the  red  men  on  the 
borders  of  the  Delaware  river,  we  all  know. 
But,  then,  he  was  only  a  Quaker ! 

Peter  Parley  has  told  us,  in  his  histories,  how 
cruel  wars  were  waged  upon  these  simple  red 
men,  and  how  they  were  slain  all  along  the  Provi- 
dence and  Merrimac  rivers  to  the  seacoast  on 
Massachusetts  Bay,  until  most  of  those  who  re- 
mained were  at  length  driven  north  and  west,  to 


INTRODUCTION,  XI 

the  Mohawk  river  and  to  the  St.  Lawrence,  and 
far  back  into  Canada ;  and  it  is  remarkable  that 
since  peace  was  made  between  Great  Britain  and 
the  United  States,  little  or  no  trouble  has  arisen 
to  the  Canadian  Government,  while  every  foot 
of  land  the  United  States  have  acquired  from 
the  Indian  tribes,  from  Massachusetts  Bay  to 
the  waters  westward  on  Lake  Huron,  has  been 
stained  with  the  blood  of  the  slain. 

In  1789  a  treaty  was  made  with  the  Iroquois, 
or  Six  Nations,  on  the  shores  of  the  Cayuga 
Lake,  by  which  the  whites,  on  certain  conditions, 
should  be  allowed  to  cultivate  certain  lands  not 
included  in  their  "  reservation." 

An  American  poet,  Mr.  P.  Hamilton  Myers, 
was  requested  to  write  a  poem  to  be  read  at  the 
centennial  celebration  in  Auburn,  in  sight  of 
"  Logan's  Monument,"  the  chief  most  celebrated 
in  American  history : — 

**  What  of  the  red  men,  our  precursors  here  ? 
Is  there  no  word  for  them  ?  no  pitying  tear  ? 
These  were  their  homes ;  they  trod  this  very  soil. 
Here  was  their  chase,  their  pastimes,  and  their  toil ; 
This  their  Arcadia,  ere  the  invading  foe 
Into  their  world  brought  care  and  ceaseless  woe. 
Who  mourns  for  Logan  and  his  vanished  race  ? — 
Auburn,  at  least,  this  stigma  may  efface. 


Xll  INTRODUCTION. 

We've  built  a  tower  for  them,  of  recent  date ; 
Lo !  in  onr  sight,  its  shafts  of  sober  grey, 
High  in  the  air  uplifts  its  granite  head ; 
Its  shadow,  dial-like,  moves  o'er  our  dead." 

As  the  narrative  in  Part  II.  contains  several 
incidents  of  the  writer  s  personal  experience,  in 
which  a  Frenchman,  a  Dutchman,  an  African,  and 
a  few  native-born  Americans  figure,  and,  above 
aU,  a  lovely  young  lady,  together  with  Indians 
born  on  the  soil,  he  will  let  each  tell  their 
stories  as  well  as  himself  This  is  the  age  of 
romance,  as  well  as  reality;  and  we  are  living 
in  times  when,  never  as  before,  "  Men  shall  run 
to  and  fro,  and  knowledge  shall  be  increased  in 
the  earth,"  as  prophesied  by  Isaiah.  Therefore, 
what  the  author  desires  is  to  bring  before  the 
minds  of  his  readers  a  part  of  the  history  of 
the  great  State  of  New  York,  and  to  show  that 
the  aborigines,  or  native  Indians,  have  been 
"more  sinned  against  than  sinning." 

Now,  as  to  who  was  killed,  who  got  married 
and  lived  many  years  to  tell  their  children  and 
grandchildren  the  story  here  related,  time  and 
and  a  little  patience  will  tell. 

It  is  proper  here  to  mention  that  all  those 
who  figure  in  the  narrative  of  Part  I.  had  served 
in  the  civil  war  in  America  for  the  breaking  up 


INTRODUCTION,  XIU 

of  slavery  :  and  the  first  gun  that  was  fired  in  the 
civil  war  was  against  Fort  Sumpter,  South  Caro- 
lina, in  Charleston  Harbour,  by  the  Confederates. 
Our  stories  begin  really  with  the  surveying 
party,  who  were  authorized  by  the  Government 
to  find  the  best  route  to  California.  Accordingly, 
they  began  their  labours  at  Omaha,  on  the  Mis- 
souri river,  five  hundred  miles  west  of  Chicago. 
The  civil  engineers,  who  were  to  find  the  best 
route,  had  to  go  through  the  Indian  country, 
inhabited  mostly  by  the  Sioux  (pronounced  800) 
tribe  of  Indians,  the  Arapahoes,  and  Cheyennes. 
These  were  hostile  to  the  whites,  because  they 
knew  that  the  railroad  would  frighten  and  drive 
away  the  game  ;  and  if  all  the  buffalo,  deer,  and 
antelope  were  driven  off,  they  must  starve  and 
perish. 


CONTENTS. 


PART  I. 

Toiling  over  the  Plains— Prairie  Dogs  and  Rattlesnakes— A 
Bad  Indian — A  Buzzard  and  a  Turkey — Prairie  Schooners — 
Scalp-Dance — Taming  a  Mule — A  Bear  in  a  Ranche — Habits 
of  the  Elk  and  the  Deer — A  Dog  Story — Superstitious  Indians 
— The  Death  of  Bishop  Lee  of  Iowa. 

PART  II 

Scene  on  the  Hudson  River — A  Lovely  Maiden  and  her 
Adventures  in  the  Forests  of  Western  New  York — Logan's 
Monument  in  Auburn,  New  York — What  became  of  the 
Maiden  Estelle  and  her  Lover. 

APPENDIX. 

Paul  Jones's  Great  Victory — Davy  Crockett — Fall  of  the 
Alamo,  in  Texas. 


ILLUSTRATIONS. 


PAGE 

Wigwam  in  the  Forest     .., 

Frontispiece 

Praikie-Dog  Town      ... 

4 

Indian  Tege,  or  Tent 

13 

Prairie  Schooners 

15 

Indian  War-Dance 

To  face  17 

Taming  a  Mule 

»       35 

A  Bear  in  a  Kanche 

„       51 

Settlers  Encamped 

90 

Attacked  by  Indians 

...       To  face  128 

PART  I. 


BORDER   TALES 

AROUND  THE  CAMP  FIRE,  IN  THE 
ROCKY  MOUNTAINS. 


CHAPTER  I 

It  would  be  very  interesting  were  I  to  describe 
what  is  called  "  an  outfit "  for  a  body  of  travellers 
across  the  plains;  so  much  of  "hard  tack" 
(biscuit  such  as  one  finds  on  a  long  sea  voyage), 
cofiee,  bacon,  beans,  sugar,  condensed  milk,  and 
other  articles  of  food,  besides  camp-kettles,  lariats 
to  tether  horses  and  mules,  also  guns  and 
ammunition,  surveying  instruments,  etc.,  etc. ;  but 
these  must  be  imagined,  if  never  seen,  and  our 
story  would  never  be  begun  if  everything  had 
to  be  described  as  needed  to  travel  in  comfort  far 
away  from  civilized  life. 

B 


2  BORDER   TALES 

Our  first  day's  march  brought  us  thirty  miles 
west  of  the  Missouri  river,  following  due  west, 
and  quite  near  the  Platte  river,  which  has  its 
origin  in  the  E,ocky  Mountains,  emptying  finally 
into  the  Missouri  at  Plattsmouth,  Nebraska. 

As  soon  as  a  halt  was  ordered,  each  company 
of  six  persons  proceeded  to  open  their  mess- 
chest  and  spread  a  cloth  for  supper,  the  cover 
serving  for  a  table.  Besides,  each  party  of  six 
had  a  tent  and  a  camp  bed,  which  could  be  rolled 
up  in  the  morning  and  be  packed  away  in  the 
covered  waggon,  drawn  by  a  mule  team.  The 
cooks — two  jolly  Africans,  who  were  formerly 
slaves  in  the  South — at  once  proceeded  to  build 
a  fire  and  prepare  our  evening  meal.  Both  had 
an  eye  to  their  comfort,  for  they  took  good  care 
to  provide  themselves  with  a  bag  of  corn-meal,* 
with  which  to  make  what  they  called  "a  hoe- 
cake,"  nicely  browned  in  the  ashes.  The  meal 
despatched,  with  generous  cups  of  savoury  coffee, 
all  lighted  their  pipes ;  and  as  we  sat  around  the 
camp  fire,  I  had  the  honour  of  telling,  or  rather 
of  beginning  to  tell,  my  first  story  about  prairie- 
dogs. 

*  Maize. 


AROUND    THE  CAMP  FIRE, 


CHAPTER   II. 

We  had  traversed  a  dreary  alkaline  plain,  where 
scarcely  anything  grew  but  wild  sagebush  and 
prickly  cactus.  Here  were  surely  to  be  found  two 
kinds  of  animal  life,  besides  the  little  marmot, 
new  to  our  experience :  sage-hens,  as  they  are 
called,  and  plenty  of  rattlesnakes. 

The  sage-hens  are  shot  as  large  as  a  barnyard 
cock,  and  we  had  promised  ourselves  a  nice  meal 
for  mid-day  dinner.  "  The  boys,"  as  we  ^^always 
call  the  soldiers,  had  bagged  a  dozen  or  more. 
But  when  we  sat  down  to  our  roast,  we  were 
sadly  disappointed.  They  were  so  strongly  im- 
pregnated with  sage  flavour,  that  the  strongest 
stomach  could  not  abide  them. 

As  to  the  snakes,  we  soon  found  that  they 
would  not  harm  us  if  we  let  them  alone.  Nature 
has  provided  them  with  rattles  on  the  end  of 
their  tails,  to  warn  of  danger  in  meddling  with 
them,  and  also  armed  them  with  a  single  tooth, 
containing  a  small  bag  of  poison  at  the  root  of  it. 
In  order  to  protect  our  horses  at  night  from 
being  bitten,  while  grazing  near  camp,  they  were 


4  BORDER    TALES 

tied  to  a  stake,  with  a  lariat  about  fifteen  feet 
in  length,  made  of  braided  horse-hair,  because 
snakes  will  not  crawl  across  one  or  upon  a 
buffalo  robe,  on  which  we  lay  at  night. 

Here  we  were  close  by  a  regular  prairie-dog 
town,  or  settlement,  as  it  is  called. 


PRAIRIE-DOG  TOWN. 


These  animals  are  so  named,  not  for  a  resem- 
blance to  a  dog  so  much  as  a  squirrel,  but  because 
of  a  habit  of  barking  on  appearance  of  danger. 
They  are  yellow  in  colour,  and  have  a  short  tail. 
When  surprised,  they  will  scamper  off  by  dozens 
to  their  holes,  and,  sitting  up  on  the  top  of  the 
little  mound  which  surrounds  their  earthy 
dwellings,  set  up  a  sharp  bark,  and  then  pitch 
head-foremost  into  their  holes,  where  it  is  hard  to 
get  at  them.     They  are  a  species  of  rodent,  and, 


ABOUND    THE   CAMP  FIRE,  5 

the  soldiers  say,  make  very  good  eating.  So,  too, 
some  think  of  frog  s  legs,  snails,  and  mule-meat. 
But  as  a  friend  said,  "  The  line  must  be  drawn 
somewhere ; "  so  we  will  pass  the  little  dogs  and 
the  other  articles  of  food  for  those  who  fancy 
them.  One  of  the  Arapahoe  chiefs  told  us  that 
the  Indians  use  the  oil  tried  out  from  the  dogs 
to  cure  rheumatism. 

These  dog  towns  are  a  great  curiosity  in  several 
respects.  It  was  said  that  rattlesnakes  and  small 
owls  make  their  homes  underground  with  the 
dogs.  The  dogs  dig  the  holes,  and  the  other  two 
are  interlopers.  Some  doubted  the  truth  of  this 
story,  but  we  proved  it.  We  shot  at  several  of 
the  owls,  which  alighted  on  the  tops  of  the  little 
mounds,  and  down  they  went  into  the  holes  as 
quickly  as  possible. 

Again,  to  prove  the  snake  story,  a  soldier 
captured  a  prairie-dog,  and  placed  it  in  a  cage, 
with  some  straw  to  make  his  nest  with.  Next 
morning  he  found  a  good-sized  rattlesnake  coiled 
up  under  his  pet  dog,  and  both  seemed  to  belong 
to  what  Barnum  called  "  the  happy  family.'' 

Nor  were  we  less  fortunate  in  finding  other 
game.  The  little  gophers  abounded  in  large 
numbers,  being  much  smaller  than  the  dogs,  re- 
sembling a  chipmuck,  with  black  stripes  running 


6  BORDER    TALES 

along  their  backs.  The  antelopes  were  plentiful, 
but  very  wild,  and  it  required  a  long-ranged  rifle 
to  shoot  them  at  a  distance.  Though  they  are 
quite  as  fleet  on  foot  as  the  deer,  they  can  be 
imposed  upon  much  easier.  They  have  an  un- 
bounded curiosity,  which  the  Indians  take  ad- 
vantage of,  and  which  is  thus  described: — To  draw 
them  within  range  of  their  bows  and  arrows,  all 
they  had  to  do,  to  impose  upon  the  poor  animals, 
was  to  tie  a  white  cloth  to  a  pole  and  wave  it  to 
and  fro,  lying  down  in  the  grass,  and  that  at 
once  attracted  their  notice,  so  as  to  induce  them 
to  approach  within  a  few  rods,  and  then  down 
they  fell,  wounded  to  the  death.  The  meat  is 
quite  tender,  rather  sweet,  and  tasting  like  lamb 
if  young,  and  like  mutton  if  old. 

It  was  a  pretty  sight  to  see  them  run  away, 
as  they  followed  a  trail  or  path  through  the  tall 
grass,  marching  in  single  file.  We  drew  a  sketch 
of  them  one  morning,  as  we  came  near  a  drove  of 
antelopes  at  sunrise.  Some  deer  were  grazing 
near  by,  but  we  had  passed  on  beyond  the  alkali 
desert  at  this  time,  and  had  reached  water 
springs,  without  which  we  should  have  famished. 

Before  the  sun  had  set,  we  were  destined  to 
fall  in  with  some  Indians,  as  well  as  with  some 
wild  bufialo  and   also  grizzly  bears.     The   In- 


ABOUND    THE   CAMP  FIRE,  7 

dians  were  few  in  number  and  quite  friendly. 
This  we  learned  by  a  few  signs  which  all  the 
Indians  of  the  plains  understand.  As  they  ap- 
proach any  persons  who  may  be  travelling  within 
nearly  fifty  rods,  the  headman  raises  his  hand, 
palm  in  front,  towards  the  company  approaching. 
This  means,  "  I  want  to  speak  with  you."  If  they 
want  to  pass  by  and  hold  "  no  talk,"  then  they 
make  a  circular  motion  with  one  hand,  meaning, 
"  I  wish  to  pass  by,  let  me  alone."  As  we  met 
half  a  dozen  Indians,  the  headman  rode  forward 
and  put  out  his  hand  to  us  to  shake,  and  uttered 
the  common  word  of  all  tribes,  "How?"  This 
means,  "  How  do  you  do  .^ "  and  is  the  same  as 
the  French  salutation,  "  Comment  vous  portez- 
vous  ? "  If  the  Indian  is  desirous  of  impressing 
you  with  his  being  very  friendly,  he  says,  "  How, 
how?" 

But  somehow  or  other  the  leader  did  not  look 
very  civil.  He  had  a  bad  eye,  and  though  he 
had  only  two  of  his  tribe  with  him,  besides  his 
two  squaws,  all  of  whom  were  mounted  on  ponies, 
we  kept  a  sharp  look-out  on  their  movements. 
Without  getting  ofi*  his  pony,  the  one-eyed  In- 
dian drew  from  his  bosom  a  dirty  piece  of  paper 
in  a  large  envelope,  on  the  corner  of  which  was 
printed  the  official  stamp  of  an  army  quarter- 


8  BORDER   TALES 

master.  Handing  it  to  us,  with  a  proud  look,  he 
said,  "  Me  big  heap  Indian,  heap  good  1 ''  Open- 
ing his  credentials  with  thumb  and  finger,  we 
read  as  follows : — 

"This  Cheyenne  Indian  wants  a  pass  and 
recommendation  to  whites  he  may  meet.  He 
says  he's  a  good  Indian,  and  never  takes  any 
white  scalps.  I  don't  believe  a  word  he  says, 
and  do  not  doubt  he's  a  cussed  rascal.  Give  him 
a  wide  berth  ! 

"John  Smith, 

"  Quartermaster, 

" Colorado." 

I  handed  it  back  to  him,  and  merely  remarked 
it  wasn't  quite  as  good  as  it  might  be;  and  giving 
the  old  chap  some  tobacco,  and  the  squaws  some 
beads  and  a  cheap  looking-glass,  they  rode  away 
on  their  ponies  behind  the  blufis,  much  to  our 
satisfaction,  as  the  Indian  is  an  inveterate  beggar 
and  won't  move  on,  unless  sugar,  coffee,  flour,  and 
tobacco  are  given  by  the  pale-faces. 

We  were  destined  to  meet  with  a  startling 
adventure  toward  sunset.  Strict  orders  were 
given  to  prevent  the  soldiers  from  separating  in 
a  less  number  than  six  at  a  time,  and  never,  on 


AROUND    THE   GAMP  FIRE,  9 

any  account,  to  wander  off  out  of  sight  of  the 
command  and  the  forage  waggons ;  by  no  means 
to  fire  on  any  Indians,  or  waste  their  ammunition 
on  worthless  objects.  The  sun  had  just  begun  to 
sink  behind  Laramie  Peak  as  we  entered  into  a 
gorge,  or  canyon,  and  several  soldiers  had  gone 
ahead,  having  struck  a  trail,  in  the  wet  sand,  of  a 
large  bear,  which  might  prove  the  biggest  game 
they  had  yet  found.  Passing  out  of  the  canyon, 
we  had  to  ascend  a  steep  hill  in  sight  of  the 
Rocky  Mountains. 

Suddenly,  a  loud,  sharp  crack  of  a  rifle,  then 
another  and  another,  rang  out  on  the  air.  Black 
Pompey,  one  of  the  cooks,  came  running  back, 
with  his  eyes  distended  through  fear,  and  yelling 
at  the  top  of  his  voice,  "  Oh,  massa,  massa  1  big 
bear,  black  as  de  debbil — old  grizzly  !  " 

We  rushed  forward,  eager  to  have  a  shot  at  his 
savage  highness;  but  soon  we  had  to  halt,  as 
the  old  fellow,  wounded  in  the  shoulder,  had 
turned  to  give  battle,  and,  bounding  with  rage, 
had  seized  one  of  the  soldiers,  and  was  rolling 
over  and  over  directly  towards  the  Apaphagie 
Creek. 

What  to  do  we  hardly  knew  at  first,  for  to 

.  shoot  at  the  old  beast  while  he  was  tumbling 

around  would   be  to   endanger  the   life  of  the 


10  BORDER    TALES 

soldier ;  but  a  big  log  stopped  their  career,  and 
one  of  the  brave  boys  jumped  forward,  and 
with  a  sharp  knife  inflicted  deadly  wounds  in  the 
neck  of  the  big  animal. 

This  compelled  him  to  release  his  hold  on  the 
soldier,  but  not  until  he  had  made  an  ugly  wound 
in  the  soldier's  thigh,  and  which,  we  feared, 
would  cripple  him  for  life.  He  gave  a  growl, 
and  showing  his  savage  teeth  in  rage,  rolled  over 
and  gave  up  the  ghost.  He  weighed  over  eight 
hundred  pounds,  and  measured,  from  his  nose  to 
his  tail,  nine  feet. 

We  feasted  that  night  on  bear  meat,  all  the 
party  having  "  rump  steaks"  and  plenty  of  them; 
and  he  was  so  fat  that  Pompey  declared  he  could 
make  a  fortune,  if  he  only  had  the  rich  grease 
that  was  wasted.  He  could  sell  it  to  the  per- 
fumers and  barbers  in  New  York  city  for  a 
dollar  a  pound. 


ABOUND    TEE   CAMP  FIRE,  11 


CHAPTEE  III. 

The  first  Indian  chief  I  had  ever  seen  in  my 
native  town,  Auburn,  N.  Y.,  was  Red  Jacket,  chief 
of  the  Tuscaroras,  a  tribe  of  the  Algonquins, 
settled  down  on  a  reservation  along  the  shores 
of  Lake  Erie,  above  the  Falls  of  Niagara. 

Red  Jacket  was  a  noble  specimen  of  his  race, 
and  having  suffered  many  wrongs  from  his  white 
neighbours,  would  never  use  the  English  tongue, 
but  always  spoke  to  the  whites  through  an  in- 
terpreter. He  visited  our  town  one  day,  and 
was  invited  to  dine  at  an  hotel.  Roast  beef, 
turkey,  chicken,  and  venison  were  served  up 
at  table.  Opposite  sat  a  white  man,  who  used 
some  mustard  on  his  beef,  and  then  pushed  it 
over  to  the  two  Indians,  who  had  never  seen 
any  before.  Being  an  imitative  animal.  Red 
Jacket  took  a  good  half-teaspoonful  with  a  piece 
of  meat  into  his  mouth,  but  said  nothing  as  the 
tears  came  into  his  eyes.  The  other  took  a  little 
of  it,  and  then  asked  what  made  him  cry. 
"WeU,"  said  he,  "I  was  thinking  of  an  old 
Indian  who  died  the  other  day."  Then  he 
asked   the   other   why  he   cried   also.     "I  was 


12  BOBDER    TALES 

sorry  you  didn't  die  when  yonr  friend  did,"  was 
the  reply. 

I  soon  found  that  most  of  the  party  had  im- 
bibed a  prejudice  against  the  Indian  race ;  few 
having  ever  seen  specimens  of  them,  except  such 
as  are  found  near  eastern  towns  and  have  become 
demoralized  by  imbibing  most  of  the  vices  and 
few  of  the  virtues  of  the  whites. 

As  an  illustration  of  the  way  Indians  were 
generally  treated,  I  related  the  following  anec- 
dote : — An  Indian  and  a  white  man  concluded  to 
go  hunting  squirrels,  wild  turkeys,  etc.  As  night 
drew  on,  they  had  only  secured  one  turkey  and 
a  buzzard.  As  they  sat  on  a  log  in  the  wood, 
it  was  agreed  to  divide  the  game.  "  Now,"  said 
the  white  man,  "  111  take  the  turkey  and  you 
take  the  buzzard ;  or  you  take  the  buzzard  and 
III  take  the  turkey."  The  Indian  scratched  his 
pate,  and  thus  remarked,  "  Seems  to  me,  you  no 
talk  turkey  to  me  at  all ! " 

Logan,  a  Mingo  chief,  many  have  said,  "was 
believed  to  be  a  myth."  But  this  is  not  so. 
He  was,  at  an  early  day,  a  chief  of  the 
Cayugas ;  and  when  they  wandered  forth  into 
Virginia,  they  left  behind  them  a  regular  fort, 
on  a  hill  which  overlooks  the  beautiful  city  of 
Auburn  (where  to-day,  as  I  am  writing,  rest  the 


ABOUND    THE   CAMP  FIRE.  13 

remains  of  Governor  William  Henry  Seward), 
and  over  the  Indian  graves  there  we  used  to 
hunt  squirrels,  chipmucks,  wild  pigeons,  and 
quail.  The  whole  circuit  of  the  hill  was  (and 
still  is)  surmounted  with  a  rampart,  thrown  up 
in  a  rude  but  enduring  manner,  to  ward  off  the 
attacks  of  an  enemy.  And  many  a  battle  must 
have  been  fought  there,  as  I  have  seen  various 
implements  of  warfare  used  by  the  rude  savages, 
such  as  tomahawks  and  stone  arrow-heads,  dug 
out  of  the  trenches. 


INDIAN  TEPE,  OR  TENT. 

There,  on  the  summit,  stands  a  large  monu- 
ment, erected  to  the  memory  of  Logan,  with  this 
inscription  chiselled  on  its  front — 

"WHO  MOUKNS  FOR  LOGAN!" 


14  BORDER    TALES 

He  was  the  true  friend  of  the  white  man,  for 
history  records  this  speech  of  his,  made  to  Lord 
Dunmore,  Governor  of  Virginia,  in  1774 : — 

"  I  appeal  to  any  white  man  to  say  if  he  ever 
entered  Logan's  cabin  hungry,  and  he  gave  him 
no  meat ;  if  ever  he  came  cold  and  naked,  and  he 
gave  him  no  deerskin  to  cover  him  and  make 
him  warm  ! 

"  All  the  time  of  the  last  long  and  bloody  war 
Logan  remained  idle  in  his  cabin,  advocating 
peace.  Such  was  my  love  for  the  whites,  that 
my  countrymen  pointed  their  finger  as  they 
passed,  and  said,  *  Logan  is  the  friend  of  the 
white  man/ 

"  I  had  even  have  thought  to  have  lived  with 
you,  but  for  the  injuries  of  one  man. 

"  Colonel  Cresap,  last  spring,  in  cold  blood  and 
unprovoked,  murdered  all  the  relations  of  Logan, 
not  even  sparing  my  women  and  children.  There 
runs  not  a  drop  of  my  blood  in  the  veins  of  any 
living  creature.  This  called  on  me  for  revenge. 
I  have  sought  it :  I  have  killed  many ;  I  have 
fully  glutted  my  vengeance. 

"For  my  country  I  rejoice  at  the  beams  of 
peace,  but  do  not  harbour  a  thought  that  mine  is 
the  joy  of  fear.  Logan  never  felt  fear.  He  will 
not  turn  on  his  heel  to  save  his  life.  Who  is 
there  to  mourn  for  Logan  ?    Not  one.'' 


ABOUND    THE   CAMP  FIBE, 


15 


CHAPTER  IV. 

Next  morning,  we  saw  a  party  of  gold-seekers 
on  their  way  to  the  Rocky  Mountains,  following 


PRAIRIE   SCHOONERS. 


their  waggons,  covered  with  canvas,  and  drawn 
by  mule  teams.  These  waggons  were  called 
''  prairie  schooners.'* 


16  BORDER   TALES 

The  illustration  shows  our  waggons  and  the 
company  of  soldiers  belonging  to  our  surveying 
party. 

The  next  evening,  after  a  day's  journey  with 
these  gold-hunters,  brought  us  forty  miles  from 
our  last  encampment,  and  when  we  pitched  our 
tents  for  the  night,  all  joined  in  singing  songs 
and  telling  stories;  and  in  order  to  make  our 
journey  more  interesting,  it  was  agreed  that 
the  lieutenant's  story  of  the  "  Twin  Brothers,"  in 
Part  IL,  should  be  told  on  alternate  nights,  and 
the  other  evenings  should  be  given  to  others  of 
the  party  who  had  had  much  experience  in  life 
on  the  plains. 

Major  Smith,  of  the  — th  Dragoons,  volunteered 
to  give  us  what  he  had  seen  among  the  Ute  tribe, 
near  Denver,  Colorado ;  and  his  story  was  about 

THE  SCALP-DANCE. 

In  18 —  I  was  among  the  first  troops  sent  out 
to  Pike's  Peak,  which  is  about  fourteen  thousand 
feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea,  to  protect  the 
miners.  It  was  there  I  met  Colonel  Kit  Carson, 
the  great  Indian  scout  and  fighter,  who  was  living 
among  the  Utes  and  Pi-ute  Indians.  He  invited 
myself  and  others  to  visit  a  camp  of  Indians,  four 


AROUND    THE   CAMP  FIRE,  17 

miles  from  Denver,  to  witness  a  "war-dance/' 
and  although  to  us  these  barbarous  customs  seem 
unaccountable,  they  had,  probably,  their  origin 
in  the  rites  and  ceremonies  of  ancient  Israel, 
of  which  people  the  Indians  believe  they  are 
the  lineal  descendants. 

Already  preparations  had  commenced  for  the 
grand  scalp  glorification,  one  of  the  redskins 
having  manufactured  a  drum  by  stretching  a 
deerskin  over  the  rim  of  a  cheese-box.  Three 
other  drums  were  soon  manufactured ;  a  frying- 
pan,  a  tin  lard-can,  and  a  brass  kettle  being  used 
for  the  bodies  of  the  drums.  Having  covered  his 
face  with  paint,  the  fellow  with  the  tin  drum 
lay  down  in  his  tent  and  commenced  practising 
the  weird  music  of  the  scalp-dance.  He  was 
soon  joined  by  others,  when  the  scalps  taken 
from  the  Sioux  were  brought  to  the  front  of  the 
tent,  and  poles  to  which  they  were  attached 
stuck  in  the  ground,  while  the  scalps  swayed  to 
and  fro  in  the  breeze.  One  by  one  the  braves 
gathered  around,  decorated  with  their  best  trap- 
pings, covered  with  beads,  and  painted  with  red, 
yellow,  green,  brown,  and  white.  About  an 
hour  before  sundown,  and  before  many  chiefs 
had  returned  from  Denver,  the  scalp-poles  were 
pulled   up,  and   the  dusky   warriors    selected  a 

c 


18  BORDER    TALES 

portion  of  the  prairie  remote  from  any  wigwam, 
where  they  again  fixed  the  poles  about  four  feet 
from  each  other.  Then  they  sat  down  in  a  line 
on  the  ground,  with  their  backs  to  the  setting 
sun  and  their  faces  to  the  blood-stained  swaying 
scalps,  and  commenced  a  strange  chant,  beating 
time  upon  the  drums  with  sticks,  which  had  for 
heads  leaves  secured  to  one  end  with  pliant 
twigs.  About  half  an  hour  they  thus  sat  chant- 
ing, when  the  squaws  began  to  collect,  equally  as 
extravagantly  attired  and  painted. 

About  thirty  had  gathered  around,  when  the 
squaw  of  the  brave  who  had  killed  one  of  the 
Sioux  stepped  in  front,  took  one  of  the  scalp- 
poles,  and  commenced  to  march  in  a  circle  in 
front  of  the  musicians,  adding  at  the  same  time 
the  shrillness  of  her  voice  to  make  the  din  un- 
earthly. One  by  one  the  squaws  fell  in  behind 
the  scalp-bearer,  until  about  a  dozen  were  making 
the  magic  circle. 

Then  up  comes  another  squaw  and  takes 
another  pole,  and  starts  a  procession,  moving  in 
a  reverse  direction  to  that  taken  by  the  first. 
Upon  the  arrival  of  Washington,  one  of  the 
chiefs,  who  seemed  to  know  just  how  the  thing 
should  be  done,  three  of  the  oldest  squaws  in  the 
tribe  formed  a   third  procession,  moving  inside 


AROUND    THE   CAMP  FIRE.  19 

the  others,  and  in  the  same  direction  as  the  out- 
side circle.  And  now  drops  into  line  with  the 
outside  circle  the  third  scalp-bearer  and  the 
followers.  Korakantie,  seemingly  the  oldest 
chief  in  the  collection,  advances  in  front  of  the 
braves — who  rose  to  their  feet  upon  the  advent 
of  the  women — and  proceeds  to  dance.  A  crier 
also  advances  to  the  front,  and  commences  to 
harangue  the  braves. 

On  the  open  prairie,  just  as  the  sun  is  sinking 
behind  the  mountains,  half  a  hundred  Indian 
warriors,  with  faces  rendered  savagely  fierce  with 
paint,  and  garments  of  flaming  colours,  are  stand- 
ing in  a  line  which  sways  to  and  fro  in  time  to 
beating  of  drums  and  the  change  in  tone  of  the 
fiendish  music  of  the  scalp-chant.  In  front  of 
these  the  veteran  grey-haired  warrior  of  the 
tribe  dances  with  strange  antics,  and  the  stalwart 
form  of  a  huge  brave  is  bent  in  all  conceivable 
shapes,  as  he  in  loud  and  excited  words  recounts 
the  circumstances  of  the  capture  and  exhorts  the 
men.  In  front  of  all,  the  magic  circles  of  squaws 
move  round,  the  scalps  streaming  above  their 
heads,  being  beaten  in  the  dust  with  revengeful 
fury  or  held  in  their  teeth,  when  the  savage  grin 
is  most  intense  and  the  chant  most  uproarious. 
Their  march  is  of  a  limping  nature,  each  proces- 


20  BORDER    TALES 

sion  giving  way  with  the  same  leg,  in  strange 
unison  to  the  swaying  of  the  braves.  These 
things,  together  with  the  weird  music  only  known 
among  savages,  when  at  regular  intervals  the 
shrill  voices  of  the  women  rise  above  those  of  the 
men,  and  occasionally  the  startling  war-whoop 
rings  loud  over  all,  render  the  scene  one  never  to 
be  forgotten. 

About  fifteen  hundred  persons  must  have 
visited  the  camp  and  witnessed  the  scalp- 
dance,  which  continued  for  many  hours,  and  to 
which  Washington,  in  the  name  of  the  tribe, 
welcomed  all  white  folks,  "both  braves  and 
squaws,"  as  he  expressed  it. 


CHAPTEH  V. 

The  next  morning,  at  four  o'clock,  the  bugle 
call  sounded  a  reveille  just  as  the  big  cart-wheel 
of  bright  sun  was  climbing  up  the  bluffs  which 
surrounded  our  encampment.  Exchanging  hearty 
greetings  with  our  "  Pike's  Peckers/'  as  they  called 
themselves,  and  wishing  them  all  good  luck,  they 
were  soon  out  of  sight  journeying  to  the  gold  and 


AROUND    THE   CAMP  FIRE,  21 

silver  mines  of  Colorado.  The  day  passed  with 
us  with  little  of  incident,  except  those  which 
always  attend  travellers  in  shooting  game  along 
the  Platte  river.  We  came  in  sight  of  old  Phil 
Kearney  Fort,  where  we  concluded  to  pass  the 
night.  As  the  fort  was  abandoned,  the  only 
object  of  interest  was  the  grave,  which  had  a 
monument  in  honour  of  the  brave  Indians  who 
fell  there  in  a  celebrated  Indian  fight. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

JULESBURG,   A  FRENCH   SETTLEMENT. 

On  our  arriving  next  morning  at  Julesburg  ranche, 
a  place  owned  by  an  old  Frenchman  named  Jules, 
and  where  the  stage-horses  were  always  changed 
on  the  overland  express  to  California,  we  met 
a  party  of  returning  miners  from  Montana, 
having  large  leathern  belts  and  sacks  containing 
from  five  to  twenty  thousand  dollars;  one  or 
two  having  dug  out  larger  quantities  of  the 
dust,  but  of  which  they  did  not  boast,  as  it  is  not 
safe  to  let  every  one  know  how  much  valuable 
property  one   has   in   hand  in  a  wild   country. 


22  BORDER    TALES 

As  they  carried  large  navy  revolvers  and  had 
big  knives  stuck  in  their  belts,  it  was  easy  to  be 
seen  they  meant  to  protect  themselves  from  rob- 
bers. At  night  they  laid  their  sacks  down  for  a 
pillow,  while  a  couple  of  warm  blankets  and 
a  wolfs  skin  sufficed  for  a  bed  on  the  floor. 
Among  the  passengers  whom  we  met  and  spent 
an  evening  with,  was  a  Dr.  Ben  Miller,  of  Chicago, 
who  had  served  in  the  civil  war  as  a  surgeon 
in  the  14th  Indiana  Battery.  His  experience 
was  mostly  in  Kansas.  To  him  the  writer  is 
indebted  for  the  following  anecdote  : — 

A  SOLDIER  BOY  OF  THE  14th  INDIANA  BATTERY. 

When  the  war  broke  out  between  the  North 
and  the  South  {first  begun  in  the  South,  at  Fort 
Sumpter,  South  Carolina,  where  the  Secessionists 
fired  upon  the  American  flag),  it  was  found  that 
the  regular  army  was  too  small  to  put  down 
the  rebellion.  President  Lincoln  issued  a  pro- 
clamation calling  for  several  thousand  volunteers. 
In  the  State  of  Indiana  a  battery  was  recruited, 
and  a  boy  named  Tommy  O'Reilley  was  enlisted 
as  a  drummer-boy,  or  in  some  other  capacity — 
"  stable-boy,"  perhaps.  However  it  was,  he  was 
ambitious  to  become  a  soldier,  and  he  soon  showed 


ABOUND    THE  CAMP  FIRE,  23 

his  smartness  in  various  ways,  attracting  the 
captain's  attention;  and  he  was  intrusted  with 
riding  horseback  on  the  leader  of  the  advanced 
battery  of  several  guns  called  "six-pounders." 
Now,  this  is  always  a  most  responsible  situation ; 
for  when  an  attack  is  made  upon  the  enemy, 
a  wrong  move  in  one  direction  or  another  in  a 
charge,  may  bring  disaster  upon  the  whole  com- 
mand. 

One  day  a  severe  fight  was  begun  at  Cedar 
Creek,  and  the  little  fellow  left  his  horse  (the 
leader)  in  charge  of  a  soldier,  while  he  ran  forth 
to  carry  some  shells  from  the  caisson  to  the  guns, 
which  were  bellowing  out  fire  and  smoke  at  the 
enemy.  Presently,  a  shell  from  the  other  side 
burst  upon  the  Union  ranks,  near  the  gun  which 
little  Tommy  served,  and  it  knocked  little 
Tommy's  horse  down.  Dropping  his  shells,  he 
ran  to  the  poor  horse  just  at  the  moment  the 
animal  fell  dead  and  expired  without  a  groan. 

Poor  boy !  He  burst  into  tears,  and  cried  out, 
"  Oh,  my  poor  horse  !  Captain,  captain,  they 
have  killed  my  poor  horse  ! "  Then,  suddenly 
throwing  his  arms  around  the  horse's  neck  and 
kissing  him,  he  sobbed  as  if  his  heart  would 
break,  saying,  "  Poor  Tom !  poor  Tom !  they 
have  killed  my  horse  ! " 


24  BOEDER    TALES 

He  had  seen  soldier  after  soldier  slain  in  the 
battle-field,  but  he  remained  unmoved  until  his 
horse — poor  horse,  for  whom  he  had  such  affec- 
tion, as  for  a  pet  child — was  struck  down  and 
died  before  his  eyes  ! 

Those  who  heard  the  doctor's  story  could  not 
refrain  from  tears  at  this  recital  of  the  little 
soldier  boy*s  sorrow  for  the  pet  horse  he  would 
ride  no  more. 


CHAPTER  VII. 

A   FEW  MOKE   STOKIES   BY  THE   CAMP   FIRE   ON 
THE  PLATTE  RIVER. 

Our  chief  engineer,  before  we  had  settled  down 
to  our  pipes  and  tobacco  and  savoury  tin  cups 
of  cofiee,  begged  to  relate  a  discovery  he  had 
made  once  near  Denver,  in  Colorado.  He  had 
made  a  halt  for  dinner  one  day,  and  saw  two 
springs  of  water  bubbling  up,  side  by  side. 
He  mixed  his  coffee  in  the  pot  from  the  first, 
a  clear  and  cool  one,  and  then  turned  to  the 
other,  a  hot  spring,  distant  only  three  or  four 
feet,  and  put  the  pot  in  to  boil,  without  any  fire 


AROUND    THE   CAMP  FIRE,  25 

whatever.  This  is  an  undoubted  fact,  and  shows 
how  singularly  Nature  sometimes  gives  us  wonders 
beyond  our  experience. 

The  story  of  the  evening  was  that  of  the  doctor, 
or  surgeon,  of  the  battery.  He  witnessed  the 
facts  while  serving  in  the  army  in  Kansas,  among 
Kickapoo  Indians. 

During  the  War  of  the  Rebellion,  the  rebels, 
as  well  as  the  northern  soldiers,  sought  to  enlist 
the  services  of  the  Indians,  although,  it  is  said, 
the  Government  did  not  wish  to  have  the  Indians 
take  any  part  in  the  strife,  knowing  the  cruelties 
they  always  practise  on  their  enemies  when 
captured.  But  there  were  Indians  engaged  on 
the  Confederate  side;  and  if  not  enlisted  in 
Government  service,  they  would  be  sure  to  be 
employed  on  the  other  side. 

The  doctor  s  story  we  may  well  call — 

THE  DEAD  INDIAN  IN  AN  ARMY  WAGGON. 

Boys  and  girls  who  have  seen  pictures  of 
Indians,  and  especially  coloured  portraits,  must 
have  noticed  that  the  warriors  always  paint  their 
faces  in  a  very  hideous  manner  when  about  to  go 
upon  the  war-path.  They  believe  from  tradition 
that  if  they  are  slain  without  any  war-paint  on 


26  BORDER    TALES 

their  faces,  their  spirits  will  wander  to  and  fro 
over  the  earth,  until  they  find  a  resting-place  in 
the  bodies  of  other  persons;  and  this  is  the 
reason  why  they  daub  their  faces  with  red  ochre, 
and  then  with  black  stripes  running  from  ear  to 
ear.  But  the  whole  subject  of  savages  painting 
their  faces  before  going  to  battle,  and  of  some  of 
them  scalping  their  enemies,  is  one  which  is  well 
worth  investigating.  Perhaps  Mr.  Darwin  can 
assist  us  in  the  matter  ? 

Now,  a  regiment  of  the  Plain  Indians,  or 
"  blanket  Indians,"  as  they  are  called  to  distin- 
guish them  from  civilized  Indians,  had  enlisted 
for  three  months  under  Colonel  Tompkins,  and 
he  had  strictly  forbidden  them  to  paint  their 
faces  in  the  usual  ugly  manner,  making  them 
look  like  fiends.  But,  as  they  held  the  above 
traditional  belief,  they  evaded  the  colonel's  order, 
and,  whenever  they  had  a  chance  to  get  near  a 
mud-puddle,  would  quietly  take  some  of  the  wet 
mud  and  smear  their  faces  with  it. 

One  day,  after  a  severe  fight  between  the 
Kickapoos  and  General  Albert  Pike's  regiment 
of  rebel  soldiers,  the  Federals  had  one  of  their 
Indians  wounded  during  a  battle  on  the  re- 
publican river.  The  Indian  was  badly  wounded, 
and  on  recovering  his  body  it  was  placed  in  the 


AROUND    TEE   CAMP  FIRE,  Ti 

forage  waggon,  on  top  of  some  bags  containing 
"  hard  tack  "  (English,  biscuit  or  crackers),  and 
there  it  was  left  till  nightfall,  when  a  halt  was 
ordered. 

But  when  the  Indians  began  to  light  their 
camp  fires,  they  surrounded  the  commissary- 
waggon  to  draw  their  rations.  Suddenly  a  great 
outcry  was  heard  among  them.  One  of  the 
Indians  had'  discovered  that  a  comrade  was  dead 
and  lying  on  the  cracker-bags ! 

Then  a  regular  stampede  was  made,  which, 
added  to  howls  and  shrieks,  frightened  the  com- 
missary nearly  to  death.  A  dozen  or  more  rushed 
off  to  a  mud-hole  near  by,  and  began  to  plaster 
on  the  mud  as  fast  as  possible,  in  hopes  of  avert- 
ing the  sad  fate  they  had  incurred  by  touching  a 
dead  Indian  with  no  paint  on  his  face,  and  none 
of  it  on  theirs,  thus  shutting  them  put  of  their 
happy  hunting  grounds  when  they  should  die; 
and,  moreover,  they  expected  the  spirit  of  the 
dead  Indian  would  take  possession  of  one  of 
them  and  haunt  him  all  his  days  on  earth. 


28  BORDER    TALES 


CHAPTEH  Yin. 

We  continued  our  journeyings  along  the  Platte 
as  far  as  Fort  Laramie,  six  hundred  miles  from 
Omaha,  on  the  Missouri  river,  in  the  Black  Hills, 
and  not  far  from  the  Powder  river  country,  where 
the  Sioux  Indians  have  their  splendid  hunting 
grounds,  among  the  antelopes,  the  elk,  deer, 
and  buffaloes. 

Most  of  the  way  west  of  the  Missouri  river  is 
all  level  plain,  with  occasional  bluffs,  and  but 
one  tree  for  five  hundred  miles  on  the  Platte 
river.  The  survey  was  over  this  expanse,  run- 
ning from  twenty  to  thirty  miles  in  width. 
We  were  obliged  to  accept  the  hospitalities  of 
the  ofiicers  in  camp,  and  we  found  among  them 
several  who  had  served  all  over  the  country, 
from  the  Atlantic  to  the  Pacific,  and  who,  at 
times,  were  often  absent  from  civilized  life  for 
five  long  years  or  more  at  a  time.  Sometimes 
no  mail  would  reach  them  in  two  or  three  months 
of  deep  winter  snows ;  and  one  poor  fellow  went 
deranged  from  leading  a  pent-up  life  of  monotony 
and  isolation. 


ABOUND    THE   CAMP  FIRE.  29 

One  of  the  oflScers'  wives  related  a  bitter 
experience  of  herself,  husband,  and  little  ones, 
in  Montana.  A  continuous  snowstorm  of  a  week 
had  piled  the  snow  in  banks,  in  some  places 
twenty  feet  high,  and  all  egress  or  ingress  was 
cut  off.  Food  began  to  grow  scarce  ;  and,  alas  ! 
forage  for  the  poor  horses  and  mules,  by-and-by, 
there  was  none.  One  night,  so  desperate  had  the 
horses  become,  they  broke  loose  from  the  stable, 
and  began  gnawing  the  storm  doors  in  front  of 
the  officers'  quarters.  Next  morning,  they  had  to 
shoot  quite  a  number,  to  put  them  out  of  their 
misery. 

The  mule  is  a  queer  animal.  Thousands  are 
employed  in  the  army  transportation  of  stores. 
Pack  mules,  in  particular,  are  indispensable,  as 
thus  only  can  an  army  transport  baggage  over 
high  mountains  and  through  gorges  where  no 
waggons  can  pass.  The  mule  is  stronger  and 
tougher  than  a  horse,  and  requires  less  corn 
and  hay.  Sometimes  five  and  often  six  to  ten 
mules  are  hitched  to  an  army  waggon,  and 
thus  as  many  as  ten  tons  of  stores  can  be 
hauled  thirty  miles  a  day.  While  journeying 
across  the  plains,  so  keen  is  their  scent,  they 
can  sniff  the  fires  of  an  Indian  encampment  for 
more  than  a  mile  away,  and  they  begin  to  snort 


30  BOBDLR    TALES 

and  show  signs  of  turning  away  from  the  road 
leading  to  them. 

One  day  some  soldiers  were  sent  out  to  punish 
some  Indians.  On  ascending  the  bluff,  they 
discovered  the  bad  fellows  down  in  the  valley 
below,  along  the  side  of  the  Chug  water.  Fearing 
the  Indians  would  run  away  before  they  could 
catch  them,  the  soldiers  began  discharging  a 
mountain  howitzer  which  was  strapped  on  the 
back  of  a  mule.  They  had  not  time  to  unload 
it  and  mount  it  on  wheels.  But  the  charge  was 
too  heavy,  and  the  gun  kicked,  upsetting  the 
mule,  and  both  went  rolling  and  tumbling  down 
the  declivity  towards  the  Indians,  who  ran  away 
for  dear  life.  One  Indian  was  taken  prisoner, 
and  they  asked  him  why  they  ran  off  without 
giving  battle. 

"The  big  Indian  take  good  heap  scalps,  and 
ain't  afraid  of  guns ;  but  when  white  man  load  up 
and  fire  a  whole  jackass,  we  get  mighty  'fraid,  and 
run  fast  as  we  could  !  " 

The  mule-driver  is  as  ingenious  in  managing 
his  team  as  the  keeper  of  an  elephant  is  in 
taming  the  powerful  animal,  who  could  crush 
his  keeper  in  a  moment.  But  brute  force  must 
always  give  way  to  superior  intelligence.  For 
example,  the  mule-driver  thinks   the  refractory 


AROUND    THE   CAMP  FIRE,  31 

animal  can  only  be  tamed  into  submission  by 
swearing  tremendous  oaths  at  him,  and  beating 
him  on  the  head.  There  is  as  little  reason  for 
such  an  idea  as  there  is  for  a  captain  of  a  vessel 
at  sea  to  swear  at  the  sailors  in  a  storm,  to 
enable  them  to  work  the  ship  out  of  danger. 
The  mule-driver  is  not  always  the  meekest  of 
men,  and  passes  for  a  mere  cypher  when  not 
positively  and  originally  profane.  Often,  too, 
there  is  a  sarcasm  in  his  conversation  with  the 
poor  animals  in  his  charge.  But  even  the  modest 
mule  will  take  a  scolding  and  a  bite,  rather  than 
go  hungry  and  unrebuked  on  its  toilsome  and 
weary  journey.  At  all  hours,  when  you  happen 
to  be  in  his  neighbourhood,  you  hear  the  voice  of 
the  irritated  mule-driver  arguing  with  or  cursing 
his  mules. 

"You're  at  it  again,  are  you,  curse  your 
heart  ? "  cries  the  angry  driver  to  a  gaunt  mule, 
which  is  trying  to  bite  a  hole  in  a  big  sack 
of  corn.  "  Look  here,  if  you  don't  leave  that 
there  sack  alone,  I'll  take  a  hammer  and  knock 
every  darned  tooth  out  of  your  head !  What  the 
deuce  do  I  feed  you  for  ? " 

Another  having  a  team  to  manage,  breaks  out 
in  this  jeering  style: — "Your  name  is  Humpy 
Dumpy,  and  you're   a  cursed   mule.     Confound 


32  BORDER    TALES 

your  skin,  do  you  know  why  you  are  named 
Humpy  ?  "  Then  cracking  his  whip  at  him,  says, 
"  Do  you  know,  you  re  nothing  but  a  mule  ?  " 

Toiling  on  through  a  blinding  storm,  another 
time  you  can't  avoid  hearing  a  "  mule  skinner," 
and  you  are  astonished  at  his  inventions  and  the 
singularity  of  his  combinations  in  the  matter  of 
swearing.  But  these  terrible  threats  and  com- 
pound, hyphenated  "swears"  fall  unheeded  on 
the  weary  mule ;  and  as  a  final  resort  the  driver 
appeals  to  the  jaded  animal's  self-respect,  and,  with 
teeth  firmly  set,  cries  out,  "  Git  up,  Kitty,  git  up  ! 
Won't  you  git  out  of  this  most  inhospitable  region 
of  the  American  continent  ?  " 

Doubtless,  there  is  a  good  deal  of  provocation 
for  all  this  profanity,  as  men  are  educated ;  but 
oh  !  what  a  flood  of  tears  a  sympathetic  recording 
angel  would  require  to  blot  out  half  the  records 
made  against  the  mule- drivers  of  the  Powder 
river  expedition ! 

One  of  the  officers  at  Fort  Laramie,  who  had 
been  travelling  in  California,  Texas,  and  North 
Mexico,  said  it  had  been  tried  to  fire  a  howitzer 
on  a  mule,  somewhere  on  the  Rio  Grande.  The 
officer,  after  strapping  the  little  gun  on  a  big 
mule,  invited  the  colonel  and  staff*  to  meet  him 
on  the  bank  of  the  river,  just  opposite  Piedras 


AROUND    THE   CAMP  FIRE,  33 

Neigras.  The  charge  was  one  pound  of  powder 
and  a  good-sized  cannon  ball.  After  fixing  the 
priming,  and  attaching 'a  fuse  to  it,  he  said, 
"  All  is  ready."  All  eyes  were  intent  on  seeing 
how  it  would  work. 

The  fuze  was  lighted,  and  it  began  to  spit 
and  fizzle  away  just  like  a  Chinese  fire-cracker. 
The  mule  heard  it,  and  as  he  was  not  used  to 
Fourth  of  July  fireworks,  got  uneasy,  as  he 
smelled  the  burning  powder  flashing.  All  at 
once,  he  began  drawing  his  forelegs  together, 
and  to  turn  round  and  round  in  a  circle.  This 
was  unlooked  for,  and  if  the  gun  went  off*,  there 
was  no  telling  which  way  the  shot  would  go. 
A  panic  set  in  among  the  ofiicers,  and  off  they 
rushed  pell-mell  down  the  hill,  head  over  heels ; 
while  the  most  timid  dropped  on  the  ground,  or 
ran  into  the  chapperell  to  hide  away,  if  possible, 
from  the  dreaded  disaster. 

When  the  gun  did  go  ofi*,  the  poor  mule  ran 
frightened  to  the  river,  and  the  last  seen  of  him 
was  that  he  was  swimming  the  stream  and 
making  tracks  for  some  ranche  over  in  Mexico. 


34  BORDER    TALES 


CHAPTER  IX. 

SOMETHING  MORE  ABOUT  THE  MULE  AND 
WHAT  HE  CAN  DO. 

They  seem  to  know  that  their  vacation  is  over ; 
for,  even  in  the  confined  and  crowded  corral — a 
square,  strong  enclosure  or  adobe  wall  and  slab 
fence — it  required  the  best  efforts  of  experienced 
men  and  not  a  little  adroit  lasso-throwing  to 
reduce  to  the  slavery  of  the  halter  animals  that, 
under  ordinary  circumstances,  would  come  at  call 
and  eat  bread  or  salt  out  of  your  hand.  But 
after  much  running  and  jumping,  kicking  and 
snorting,  the  seventy-two  mules  were  all  caught, 
led  down  to  camp,  and  tied  to  a  rope  fastened  by 
pins  close  to  the  ground,  where  they  busied 
themselves  in  all  sorts  of  mulish  mischief  calcu- 
lated to  make  the  packers  swear. 

But  the  circus  began  when  one  by  one  they 
were  led  out  to  have  the  pack-saddles  put  on  for 
the  first  time — ^first  for  this  season  for  many,  for 
some  the  first  time  in  their  lives.  The  pack- 
saddle  in  use  by  the  Survey  is  not  the  Mexican 
"sawbuck,"  which  has  been  generally  discarded  in 


TAMING  A  MULE. 


IPage  35. 


AROUND    THE  CAMP  FIRE,  35 

the  West,  but  a  contrivance  introduced  from,  or 
at  least  through,  California,  called  the  aparejo. 
These  pack-saddles  are  flat  bags  of  firm  leather, 
joined  in  the  middle  and  strengthened  at  the 
edges  so  as  to  hold  their  shape  perfectly.  They 
are  stuffed  moderately  full  of  hay,  and  when 
properly  balanced  on  the  mule's  back,  blankets 
having  been  placed  underneath,  arch  above  his 
spine  and  flare  out  from  his  sides,  the  weight  of 
the  load  falling  equally  upon  the  swelling  upper 
portion  of  the  ribs,  but  leaving  the  ridges  of  the 
backbone  untouched.  The  whole  is  fastened  by 
a  broad  "  belly-band,"  termed  a  sinch,  which,  by 
a  method  of  drawing  up  loops  of  rope  practised 
everywhere  through  the  mountains,  known  as 
sinching,  is  tightened  until  a  load  of  three  hundred 
pounds  may  be  piled  high  on  top  and  the  aparejo 
not  slip  an  inch  from  one  day's  end  to  the  other. 
The  mule  understands  very  well  that  it  is  not 
a  pleasant  thing  to  have  two  strong  men  brace 
their  feet  against  his  ribs  and  pull  upon  a  girth 
until  the  contour  line  of  his  stomach  closely 
resembles  the  outside  of  Cupid's  bow ;  and  some- 
times he  never  does  submit,  but  day  after  day 
and  season  after  season  will  resist  by  every 
device  of  obstinacy  and  agility  which  a  healthy 
mule  knows  how  to  employ.     All  soon  learn  to 


36  BORDER    TALES 

swell  themselves  out  when  being  sinched,  and 
render  their  muscles  so  rigid  that  it  is  always 
necessary,  after  the  first  mile  or  so  of  marching 
in  the  morning,  to  stop  and  tighten  the  girths. 

FUN  FOR  THE  MULETEERS. 

These  facts  and  habits  being  understood,  you 
can  imagine  the  fun — for  those  not  handling  the 
beasts — likely  to  ensue  from  the  introduction  to 
it  of  a  green  mule,  strong  in  his  youth,  and  fresh 
from  a  winter's  untrammelled  ranging  over  the 
prairies.  He  is  led  out  into  an  open  space, 
stepping  timidly,  but;  not  seeing  any  cause  for 
alarm,  quietly,  and  before  he  understands  what  it 
all  means,  he  finds  that  a  noose  of  the  lariat 
about  his  neck  has  been  slipped  over  his  nose, 
and  discovers  that  his  foes  have  secured  an  ad- 
vantage. He  pulls  and  shakes  his  head,  and 
stands  upright  on  each  end,  but  all  to  no  avail. 
The  harder  he  pulls  the  tighter  the  noose 
pinches  his  nose ;  so  he  comes  down  and  stands 
still.  Score  one  for  the  packers.  Then  a  man 
approaches  slowly  and  circumspectly,  holding 
behind  him  a  feather  "  blind,"  which  he  seeks  to 
slip  over  the  mule's  head  and  cover  his  eyes,  so 
that  he  shall  not  see  what  is  being  prepared  for 


& 


ABOUND    THE   CAMP  FIRE,  37 

his  delectation.  But  two  long  ears  stand  in  the 
way,  and  the  first  touch  of  the  leather  is  a  signal 
for  a  jump — for  two  jumps,  indeed ;  for  packers 
are  wise  enough  in  their  day  and  generation  to 
fight  shy  of  the  business  end  of  a  mule  1  The 
next  trial  is  less  a  matter  of  caution  and  more 
of  strength,  and  here  the  animal  has  the  ad- 
vantage and  sometimes  must  be  thrown  to  the 
ground.  It  is  fine  to  see  the  indignation  of 
such  a  fellow !  He  falls  heavily,  yet  holds 
his  head  high,  and  essays  to  rise.  But  his 
fore  feet  are  manacled  with  ropes  in  the  hands 
of  two  strong  men,  and  his  head  is  held  by  a 
third.  Yet  he  will  get  up  on  his  hind  feet,  stand 
straight  up,  and  dash  down  with  all  his  weight 
in  futile  efforts  to  get  free.  Secured  with  more 
rope,  blinded  with  leather,  allowed  only  three 
legs  to  stand  upon,  and  cursed  frightfully,  he 
must  submit,  though  never  with  good  grace. 

It  is  not  very  often,  however,  that  it  is  needful 
to  proceed  to  this  extremity,  and  a  mule  blinded 
and  held  by  a  firm  halter  will  often  aUow,  with- 
out serious  resistance,  the  strange  thing  to  be 
put  upon  his  back  and  the  straps  adjusted — all 
but  one.  When  that  institution  called  the 
crupper  is  to  be  placed  under  a  young  mule's 
narrative,  non-conbatants  better  leave  the  coun- 


38  BORDER    TALES 

try.  Language  fails  to  express  the  magnificence 
of  the  kicking !  The  light  heels  describe  an  arc 
from  the  ground  to  ten  feet  above  it,  and  then 
strike  out  at  a  tangent.  They  cut  through  the 
air  like  whip-lashes,  and  would  penetrate  what 
they  struck  like  a  bullet.  But  pretty  soon  the 
mule  tires.  Strategy  wins,  the  crupper  is  gained, 
and  the  first  hard  pull  is  made  upon  the  sinch, 
which  holds  firmly  every  hair's  breadth  gained. 
Score  another  one  for  the  packers,  while  the 
mule  springs  again  and  again,  with  arched  back 
and  head  between  his  forelegs,  landing  on  stiff 
legs  to  jar  his  burden  off",  or  falling  full  weight 
upon  his  side  and  rolling  over  to  scrape  it  free. 
He  will  stand  on  his  haunches  and  roll  over 
backward ;  he  will  stand  on  his  head  and  almost 
turn  a  somersault.  Finally,  he  will  rise  up, 
shake  himself,  depress  his  ears,  and  stand  still 
while  you  tighten  the  girth  and  lead  him  away. 
He  is  conquered. 


CHAPTER   X. 

The  first  night  after  our  arrival  at  Fort  Laramie 
found  us  surrounding,  not  a  camp  fire,  but  a  com- 
fortable set  of  quarters.     Major  Brent,  an  old 


ABOUND    TEE   CAMP  FIBE.  39 

Indian  pioneer  from  St.  Louis,  was  there.  General 
Harney,  the  greatest  Indian  fighter  of  the  early- 
day  in  the  plains,  was  a  visitor  also.  He  was  full 
of  anecdote,  and  at  the  time  over  seventy  years 
old ;  his  hair  white  as  snow,  and  his  cheeks  red 
as  cherries.  His  heart  was  warm  toward  the 
red  men,  who,  he  said,  were  the  injured  party  in 
almost  all  the  quarrels  we  have  had  with  them. 
"I  never  knew,''  said  he,  "as  a  general  thing, 
of  any  fights  in  which  the  white  men  were  not 
the  aggressors."  He  added,  "/  never  knew  an 
Indian  to  break  his  word" 

The  black  boy  who  cleaned  my  accoutrements 
and  blacked  my  boots  when  near  civilization, 
threw  some  fresh  pine-knots  on  the  fire,  and  each 
one  of  the  party  having  formed  a  circle  round  it, 
our  friend  the  lieutenant  went  on  with  his  story. 


CHAPTER  XI. 

The  great  scarcity  of  fuel  for  miles  upon  miles 
away  from  civilization  has  led  California  miners 
and  emigrants  to  devise  means  of  various  kinds 
to  enable  them  to  cook  their  food  and  boil  cofiee 


40  BORDER    TALES 

for  breakfast,  dinner,  and  supper.  Of  course,  ham 
and  bacon,  or  salt  pork,  fried,  with  plenty  of 
hard  tack,  or  flour  biscuits,  made  up  in  a  hurry, 
and  quite  light  with  "baking  powder"  or  soda, 
are  the  usual  stand-by  at  each  meal.  Sometimes, 
indeed  quite  often,  game  of  some  kind  is  easily 
found :  ducks,  sage-hens,  wild  geese,  antelope,  or 
venison. 

Now,  to  cook  food,  there  must  be  fire.  The 
Mormon  emigrants  used  "buftalo  chips"  {i.e., 
the  drippings  of  wild  buffalo),  and  very  good 
fuel  it  makes.  Sage-brush  is  used,  and  some 
freighters  and  emigrants  sling  a  big  log  under 
their  waggons,  from  which  to  chip  off  enough  to 
make  a  fire  as  they  want  it. 

The  encampment  for  this  night  was  on  the 
Ohug  water,  in  sight  of  "  Eed  Butte  "  and  "  Chim- 
ney Rock."  The  appearance  a  good  way  off 
reminds  one  of  a  large  castle  or  fortress,  and 
these  ''buttes''  are  about  a  hundred  feet  high, 
composed  of  red  sandstone. 

Our  coloured  boy  had  gathered  a  lot  of  sage- 
brush and  made  a  rousing  fire  to  cook  the  supper, 
when  all  hands  sat  down  to  watch  the  move- 
ments of  the  sable  cook,  whose  face  was  shining 
in  the  light  of  the  bright  blaze,  while  he  danced 
about  quite  lively,  to  keep  the  coffee  boiling,  the 


ABOUND    THE   CAMP  FIRE,  41 

bacon  frying,  and  the  biscuit  from  getting 
scorched. 

We  were  all  anxious  to  have  supper  ready  and 
despatched  as  soon  as  possible,  as  our  appetites 
were  sharp  (as  all  know  who  visit  the  plains) ; 
and,  besides,  we  had  a  new  story-teller  for  the 
evening  in  the  person  of  "  Texas  Jack,"  who  had 
come  across  the 

"  STAKE  PLAINS  " 

in  Texas,  and  accidentally^  fallen  in  with  us, 
on  his  return  journey  to  "the  States''  from 
the  Sweetwater  country  and  mines.  He  pro- 
mised to  tell  us  how  elk  and  black-tailed  deer 
are  killed;  where  he  had  come  from;  of  the 
sorrows  of  the  old  buck  elk ;  bears,  "  and  their 
cunning  little  ways;"  and  his  own  views  how 
to  settle  the  "  Indian  question." 

"  Well,"  said  he,  "  what  shall  I  tell  you  about  ? " 
He  was  a  complete  picture  of  a  Western  scout, 
with  a  tall,  sinewy  form,  bronzed  face,  flowing 
locks,  and  head  covered  with  a  Mexican  som- 
brero. 

Taking  a  seat  in  our  midst  on  a  camp  chest, 
and  a  light  for  his  meerschaum,  we  asked  him 
to  tell  us  about  his  late  hunt  with  some  charm- 
ing English  fellows,  who  had  come  over  on  pur- 


42  BOEDER    TALES 

pose  to  hunt  buffalo  on  the  plains,  and  other 
"  small  deer,"  such  as  can  be  found  nowhere  else 
as  in  this  latitude,  and  which  abound  for  thou- 
sands of  miles  into  and  beyond  the  Rocky 
Mountains. 

After  a  few  whiffs  of  his  pipe,  to  see  if  it  was 
lighted,  he  began : — 

"  Well,  there  isn't  very  much  to  say  about  that 
hunt.  You  see,  Sir  John  Reid  and  his  cousin, 
Mr.  Eaton,  were  about  the  most  sensible  men 
and  best  hunters  I  ever  piloted  over  the  plains. 
They  were 

HUNTING  FOR  TROPHIES 

more  than  anything  else,  and  didn't  kill  any 
game  and  leave  it  to  rot  on  the  ground.  Pro- 
bably you  would  like  to  have  me  tell  you  just 
how  we  occupied  ourselves  during  a  day,  for  the 
days  were  pretty  much  alike,  though  we  were 
out  about  three  months,  in  the  Sweetwater 
country,  Wyoming  Territory.  There  were  seven 
of  us  in  the  party  :  the  two  Englishmen,  myself, 
my  assistant  hunter — Tom  Sun,  better  known  as 
'  Indian  Tom,'  a  Frenchman,  and  a 

GREAT  INDIAN  FIGHTER — 

a  servant  for  the  Englishmen,  a  waggon-driver, 


AROUND    THE   CAMP  FIRE.  43 

and  a  cook.  We  didn't  take  much  provisions 
with  us,  as  we  killed  all  our  fresh  meat.  In  the 
morning,  I  always  made  it  my  first  business  to 
hustle  out  Sir  John  and  his  cousin.  They  always 
seemed  in  a  hurry,  but  they  were  always  late  in 
getting  to  the  hunt,  and  liked  their  blankets 
in  the  morning.  After  breakfast  we  would  get 
in  the  ponies — ^little  Indian  ponies  called  hron- 
chos,  and  I  tell  you  they  are  rascals.  I  always 
rode  one  called  Snort,  that  could  kick  the  hat 
off  your  head  while  you  were  on  his  back. 
Here's  a  letter  I  just  got  from  Tom  Sun,  telling 
about  Robert,  the  English  servant,  trying  to  ride 
him  since  I  left  the  plains.  Snort  threw  him 
three  times  in  as  many  minutes,  and  Robert  said 
he  was 

'A  BLOODY  BEAT.' 

Robert  rode  in  the  English  style,  but  found  it 
wouldn't  work  with  mustangs.  Well,  the  game 
we  were  after  was  elk,  black-tail  deer,  antelope, 
and  mountain  sheep.  The  bears  were  all  holed 
up  for  the  winter,  as  we  started  out  late  in  the 
season.  The  elk  we'd  find  on  the  flats,  away 
from  the  mountains,  browsing.  Sometimes  there 
would  be  two  or  three  thousand  head  in  a  band, 
most  of  them  being  does  and  fawns,  with  a  few 


44  BOBDEB   TALES 

bucks  scattered  around.  In  a  band  of  three 
thousand  head  there  would  not  be  more  than 
thirty  or  forty  bucks,  for  these  elk  have 

MOKE  WIVES  THAN  BKIGHAM  YOUNG. 

When  we  would  sight  a  band  a  long  way  off, 
the  first  thing  would  be  to  dispute  whether  they 
were  Indians  or  elk,  for  the  critters,  with  their 
antlers,  look  at  a  distance  like  men  on  horseback. 
We  didn't  see  any  Indians,  though,  all  the  time 
we  were  out,  and  I  wasn't  a  bit  sorry  for  that. 
After  we  got  near  enough  to  see  plainly,  we 
would  look  for  such  antlers  as  we  wanted,  and 
would  go  for  those.  The  best  antlers  are  on  the 
old,  lone  bucks,  who  get  driven  away  from  the 
bands  generally,  but  sometimes  we  Avould  find 
them  in  the  bands.     Elk  are  about  the 

STUPIDEST  ANIMALS  IN  THE  WORLD, 

and  you  can  get  all  you  want  by  either  sneak- 
hunting  or  stalking.  When  they  first  see  you, 
they  are  so  silly  they  will  walk  right  toward 
you,  but  at  a  shot  they  start  off,  always  in  the 
face  of  the  wind,  so  that  they  can  smell  ahead 
and  see  behind.     Their 


ABOUND    TEE  CAMP  FIRE.  45 


NATUKAL  GAIT  IS  A  TROT. 

When  they  are  hurried  and  frightened,  they  some- 
times break  into  a  clumsy  run,  but  they  can't 
travel  near  as  fast  that  way.  I  have  timed  elk 
trotting  eight  miles  in  twenty-four  minutes,  over 
rough  ground.  When  you  get  a  band  started, 
you  charge  into  them,  ride  your  ponies  into  the 
midst  of  the  animals,  press  aside  those  you  don't 
want,  by  pushing  their  flanks  with  your  hand, 
and  make  for  those  with  fine  antlers.  They 
never  show  fight  to  men,  but  are  the  timidest 
beasts  in  the  world.  The  only  danger  you  are 
in  is,  that  your  horse  might  stumble,  and  then 
you  would  be 

TRAMPLED   TO   DEATH  BY  THEIR   SHARP  HOOFS. 

Often  you  can  ride  around  a  band  of  them,  and 
as  they  will  stop  for  the  young  ones  and  wounded 
ones  to  come  up,  you  can  get  ahead  of  them, 
and  take  another  shot.  This  was  the  way  our 
party  hunted,  for  we  were  after  big  horns,  and 
not  a  lot  of  meat.  By  sneak-hunting,  one  man 
can  kill  a  whole  band  of  elk.  He  must  first  get 
a  good  stand,  in  easy  range,  to  leeward  of  the 


46  BORDER   TALES 

game,  so  that  he  is  completely  hid,  and  must  kill 
one  with  his  first  shot.  They  then  stand  for  a 
short  time,  with  their  backs  humped  up  and 
their  hair  raised,  looking  around  to  see  in  which 
direction  to  run.  Finally,  the  leader  will  make 
a  break  in  one  direction  or  another.  Now  is  the 
important  moment.  If  the  hunter  makes  a  good 
shot,  and  kills  the  leader,  the  whole  band  are  at 
his  mercy.  Having  made  one  break,  and  found 
danger  in  that  direction,  their  wits  are  exhausted, 
and  they  just  stand  huddled  together,  and  one 
man,  if  he  had  ammunition  enough,  could 

KILL  A  THOUSAND   OF  THEM. 

Black-tail  deer  are  just  the  same,  but  white-tail 
deer  will  run  from  the  soimd  of  the  gun.  This 
style  of  shooting  is  called  getting  a  stand  on  the 
game.  You  can  get  a  stand  on  buffalo,  and  they 
will  act  the  same  as  the  elk.  I  have  killed 
thirty-five  buffalo  out  of  a  herd  in  this  way,  and 
only  stopped  because  I  was  tired." 

"  Hasn't  there  been  some  complaint  of  parties 
of  hunters  from  abroad  slaughtering  game  need- 
lessly ? " 

"Oh  yes;    but  I  don't  think  there  has  been 


ABOUND    THE   CAMP  FIRE,  47 

much  of  that  sort  of  thing  done  lately.  I  know 
our  party  killed  nothing  but  what  they  wanted, 
and  these  Englishmen  were  good  shots,  and 
brought  down  a  buck  when  they  drew  a  bead  on 
him.  There  is  a  fine  of  filty  dollars  for  leaving 
any  game  on  the  ground.  Captain  Shaw,  an 
Englishman  who  was  hunting  to  the  north  of 
us,  did  kill  forty  or  fifty  old  buck  elk,  which  he 
left,  but  that  was  really  a  service  to  the  country. 
Their  meat  is  no  good,  and  they  only  worry  the 
young  bucks.  You  see,  these  elk  are  mighty 
queer  beasts.     A  buck  is 

NO  ACCOUNT  IN  THE  HEED 

after  he  is  three  years  old ;  and  the  young  bucks 
have  antlers  with  a  single  prong,  while  these  big 
antlers  belong  to  the  old  played-out  fellows. 
These  antlers  are  full  grown  about  September 
every  year,  and  are  shed  every  February,  and  an 
old  buck  has  to  devote  about  three-quarters  of 
the  year  to  getting  rid  of  his  old  set  and  putting 
on  his  new.  They  have  pretty  bad  times  over 
it.  The  elk  seeks  a  lonely  place,  where  he  can 
lie  down  and  reach  water  by  sticking  his  nose 
out,  and  can  get  grass  without  scarcely  moving. 
Likely  he 


48  BORDEB    TALES 


WON'T   STIR  A   QUARTER  OF  MILE 

during  an  entire  winter.  When  the  new  antlers 
begin  to  come,  they  are  very  tender  at  first,  with 
blood  at  the  points,  and  covered  with  a  kind  of 
skin.  If  he  happens  to  touch  them  against  any- 
thing, it  hurts  like  pulling  a  tooth.  So  he  passes 
week  after  week,  with  his  nose  in  a  stream  and 
his  rump  against  a  rock,  doing  nothing  but  nurse 
his  horns,  until  it  gets  to  be  August,  when  they 
have  nearly  got  their  growth.  Then  some  fine 
day  he  takes  a  scrape  on  something,  and  off 
comes  the  covering  from  his  antlers,  and  then  he 
sharpens  the  points  on  the  trees  or  rocks,  and 

BEGINS  TO  FEEL  HIS   OATS. 

He  gives  himself  a  big  shake,  and  starts  on  the 
rampage,  trumpeting  as  he  goes.  About  this 
time  of  the  year  the  plains  are  full  of  these  cries. 
I  tell  you,  it's  a  good  thing  to  kill  these  old 
pestilences,  for  they  are  of  no  use  to  themselves 
or  anybody  else.  It  isn't  hunters  that  are  making 
game  scarce  out  West,  by  any  means.  It's  the 
ignorant  emigrants,  who 


AROUND    THE  CAMP  FIRE,  49 

SCAKE   THE   GAME,   AND   DON'T   KILL  IT. 

These  people  keep  popping  away,  without  hit- 
ting anything,  and  frighten  the  animals  so  that 
they  go  into  country  that  is  strange  to  them, 
where  they  don't  know  how  to  find  grass  and 
water,  and  they  starve ;  and  that  is  why  so 
many  skeletons  bleach  in  the  prairies  of  the  West. 
Your  hunter,  if  he  doesn't  want  a  deer,  leaves 
him,  and  can  kill  one  without  disturbing  those 
grazing  in  the  next  canyon ;  but  bunglers  manage, 
without  slaughtering  much,  to  drive  the  game 
into  an  unfit  country.  You  see,  the  elk  and  the 
deer  and  the  buffalo  can't  stand  civilization,  and 
are  perishing  fast;  but  the  antelopes  seem  to 
like  a  little  human  society,  and  are  increasing 
in  numbers." 

"  You  say  that  elk  are  so  timid ;  is  that  the 
case  with  most  of  the  game  in  the  West  ? " 

"Yes,  all  but  the  bear.  He  is  the  most  con- 
trary chap  in  the  world.  Elk,  buffalo,  deer, 
wolves,  you  do  anything  to  frighten  them,  fire  a 
gun,  or  come  upon  them  suddenly,  and  they  will 
run  away,  but  a  bear 

WILL   GO   FOR   YOU. 

Old  hunters  don't  want  to  have  any  truck  with 

E 


50  BOBDER    TALES 

bears.  They  are  always  spoiling  for  a  fight, 
and  are  so  strong  and  cunning,  and  swift,  and 
hard  to  kill,  that  a  man  is  pretty  sure  to  get  the 
worst  of  it  if  he  tackles  one  of  then.  It  was  just 
true  what  California  Joe  said,  that  'the  best 
place  to  hunt  bears  was  where  there  wasn't  any.' 
A  grizzly  will  stand  in  the  middle  of  the  road, 
growling  and  getting  his  mad  up,  when  there 
isn't  a  live  creature  within  forty  miles  of  him.  If 
you  meet  one  and  turn  out  for  him,  he  will  pro- 
bably leave  you  alone ;  but  if  you  say  a  word, 
look  out  for  him.  Many  a  time  I  have  just  made 
some  such  remark  to  a  bear  as,  '  Where  are  you 
going,  Tommy  ? '  when  in  an  instant  his  arms 
would  be  up  and  ready  to  tear  me  to  pieces. 

"  No,  sir,  we  don't  go  bear-hunting  very  much, 
and  are  willing  to  cry  quits  with  those  fellows. 
You  see,  they  can  run  as  fast  as  a  horse,  and  you 
have  to  put  a  bullet  into  just  such  a  place  to  kill 
them,  and  until  they  are  dead  they  are  danger- 
ous. Tom  Sun  got  treed  on  a  rock  by  a  grizzly 
once,  and  the  old  loafer  just  waited  there  at  the 
foot  of  the  rock  for  twenty-four  hours  before  he 
made  up  his  mind  to  walk  off.  Tom  didn't  dare 
shoot,  because  his  rifle  was  a  light  one,  and  he 
was  afraid  he  might  fail  to  kill  the  bear,  who 
would  then  have  quietly  wiped  him  off  the  rock 


A  BEAR  IN  A   KANCHE. 


IPage  5L 


AROUND    THE  CAMP  FIBE.  51 

and  clawed  him  to  bits.  They  are  the  most  im- 
pudent beggars,  and  presume  on  their  privileges. 
Often  a  big  grizzly  will  walk  into  camp,  as  un- 
concerned as  you  please,  stroll  up  to  a  tree  where 
the  game  is  hanging,  help  himself  to  what  he 
wants,  and  go  away.  Nobody  interferes  with 
him.  If  he  is  satisfied  to  go  off  with  the  meat, 
the  hunters  are  satisfied  to  let  him.  I  have  seen 
a  bear  walking  along,  with  an  entire  elk  carcase, 
with  the  antlers  on,  weighing  as  much  as  eight 
hundred  pounds,  tucked  under  his  arm. 

A  BEAK  IN  A  KANCHE. 

"  Sometimes  one  of  these  fellows  visits  a  ranche 
when  a  party  is  out  hunting,  and  then,  I  tell 
you,  he  makes  a  mess.  They  are  as  mischievous 
as  monkeys,  and  have  no  end  of  curiosity.  Likely 
the  first  thing  he  tackles  is  a  cask  of  syrup.  He 
gets  a  little  of  the  dripping  from  the  spigot  on  his 
paw,  tastes  it,  says,  '  That's  good,'  whacks  in  the 
head  of  the  cask,  and  pulls  it  over  on  his  head 
and  shoulders,  sticking  himself  all  up,  but  most 
of  the  syrup  gets  into  his  stomach.  Then  he 
finds  some  tobacco,  tastes  it, says,  'No  good,'  and 
scatters  it  over  the  floor.  Next  comes  a  sack  of 
flour.    He  bursts  through  the  cloth  with  his  paw. 


52  BORDER    TALES 

tastes  it,  says, '  Pretty  good/  but  he  don't  like  it 
much,  so  he  spreads  that  all  around  amongst  the 
tobacco,  and  he  adds  to  the  mess  blankets,  clothes, 
everything  there  is  in  the  hut.  By-and-by  his 
stomach  gets  uneasy  from  too  much  molasses,  and 
he  lies  down  and  takes  a  roll,  and  gets  himself  all 
plastered  over  with  flour  and  tobacco.  About 
the  time  the  hunters  come  home,  perhaps,  he  has 
got  ready  to  go,  and  they  meet  him  in  the  road, 
the  most  comical-looking  beast  you  can  imagine. 
He  knows  he  looks  queer,  but  he  walks  along  as 
much  as  to  say,  '  No  matter  what  I  look  like,  I'm 
a  bear,  and  you  had  better  leave  me  alone ;  I've 
got  my  belly  full  of  sorghum,  and  don't  want  any 
meat,  but  clear  the  road  for  me,  or  there'll  be 
trouble.'  When  you  get  inside,  you  find  there  is 
no  comfort  there,  and  likely  have  to  travel  fifty 
miles  to  get  something  to  eat.  He  has  ransacked 
everything,  and  spoiled  everything. 

LASSOOING  A  CINNAMON. 

"I  was  once  out  with  a  party  in  Texas,  and 
we  came  across  a  big  cinnamon  bear.  We  pro- 
posed to  leave  him  alone,  but  there  was  one 
fellow,  who  didn't  know  as  much  bear  as  the  rest, 
who  proposed  to  capture  him  with  his  lasso.    We 


AROUND    THE   CAMP  FIRE.  53 

told  him  he  had  better  let  out  the  job,  but  he  was 
determined ;  and,  sure  enough,  he  made  a  good 
throw,  and  got  the  loop  around  the  bear  s  neck. 
When  old  Cinnamon  felt  it  get  tight,  what  do 
you  think  he  did  ?  He  just  sat  up  on  his 
haunches,  felt  of  the  rope  with  one  paw,  and  then 
began  pulling  it  in,  hand  over  hand.  There  was  a 
horse  and  a  man  fast  to  the  other  end  of  the  rope, 
but 

THEY  HAD  TO  COME, 

both  of  them.  As  for  the  hunter,  he  jumped  off 
and  got  away ;  but  the  bear  drew  the  pony  right 
up  to  him,  and  let  his  bowels  out  with  one  blow 
of  his  paw.  We  killed  him  afterwards,  but  that 
chap  never  tried  lassooing  any  more  cinnamons. 
No,  they're  poor  hunting,  are  bears.  There  are 
about  twenty  varieties  of  them,  and  the  hog- 
backed  grizzly  is  the  worst,  but  they're  all  cross." 

TEXAS  JACK  ON  THE  INDIAN  QUESTION. 

"  How  is  it  about  the  Indians  ? '' 

"  Well,  they  all  seem  to  have  gone  north,  and 
I  reckon  are  up  to  the  Canada  line.  We  didn't 
see  any  Indian  signs  all  the  time  we  were  out. 
You  see,  the  buffalo  have  all  been  driven  north, 


54  BORDER    TALES 

and  the  Indians  have  to  follow  them,  for  they 
can't  be  on  the  war-path  without  buffalo.  They 
don't  like  elk,  and  deer,  and  small  game  well 
enough  to  live  on  it,  but  give  them  plenty  of 
buffalo  meat  and  they  are  happy.  You  know 
they  consider  them  as  their  own  property.  A 
redskin  will  speak  of  buffalo  as  '  my  cattle,'  and 
as  long  as  they  can  swell  around,  on  horseback, 
in  paint  and  feathers,  and  kill  one  of  their  cattle 
whenever  they  want  food,  they're  all  right ;  but 
cut  them  off  from  this,  and  they'll  soon  come  into 
the  agencies,  get  beef  and  beans,  and  be  good 
Indians.  The  wild  Indian  and  the  buffalo  are 
pards,  and  when  one  dies  the  other  must.  If  the 
Government  had  put  all  its  soldiers  to  killing 
buffalo,  instead  of  trying  to  kill  redskins,  and 
getting  butchered  themselves,  the  Indian  question 
would  have  been  settled  long  ago.  As  it  is, 
Canada  people  have  been  wiser  than  we.  They 
have  fed  the  Indians,  given  them  blankets  and 
seed  corn  to  plant,  regular  annuities  of  money 
and  tobacco,  and  have  sent  missionaries  among 
them  long  before  we  did ;  and  the  consequence  is, 
they  have  never  had  much  serious  trouble  with 
them." 

The  bugle  call  of  the  2nd  U.S.  Cavalry  escort 
sounded  just  as  Texas  Jack  had  concluded  his 


AROUND    THE   CAMP  FIRE,  55 

narrative,  and  we  turned  into  our  tents  to  sleep 
as  sound  as  roaches,  and  to  rise  early  with  the 
sun  and  bid  our  new  friend  adieu,  as  he  once 
more  resumed  his  journey  to  the  city  of  New 
York,  whither  he  and  his  companions  were 
tending. 


CHAPTEE  XII. 

Our  next  night's  bivouac  was  far  away  up  in 
the  Yellowstone  country.  No  sooner  were  our 
camp  fires  lighted,  than  all  our  party  were  eager 
for  the  stories  to  begin. 

Now,  at  the  expense  of  being  considered 
tedious  and  wandering  from  the  subject  of  our 
story,  I  may  be  permitted  to  indulge  in  a  short 
description  of  this  wonderful  region  where  we 
had  encamped.  For,  next  to  the  Falls  of 
Niagara,  the  ''  geysers  "  are  described  by  Pro- 
fessor Hayden,  United  States  geologist,  as  '"one 
of  the  Seven  Wonders  of  the  world." 

They  are  located  upon  the  head  waters  of 
the  Yellowstone  river  and  upper  forks  of  the 
Missouri  river,  and  comprise  portions  of  the 
territories  of  Idaho  and  Montana. 


56  BORDER    TALES 

The  wonders  of  Iceland  or  New  Zealand  are 
dwarfed  into  nothingness  by  the  stupendous 
phenomena  of  "voleanism"  (to  adopt  the  lan- 
guage of  this  noted  geologist)  which  crowd  the 
oasis  of  the  Yellowstone. 

He  says,  "  Many  of  those  springs  are  no  longer 
active,  their  igneous  vents  forming  shapes  the 
most  fantastic,  like  the  'Dead  Chimney'  on 
Gardner  s  river,  the  '  Devil's  Den,'  '  Tower 
Creek,'  formed  most  likely  near  the  pleiocene 
period."  Elsewhere  abound  groups  and  single 
varieties  of  true  geysers,  not  less  strange  and 
weird-like  in  form,  like  the  "Mud  Cauldron," 
the  "  Great  Mud  Geyser,"  and  the  "  Giant's 
Cauldron,"  forty  feet  in  diameter,  intermittent 
in  its  flow,  having  been  observed  by  Professor 
Hayden,  and  also  by  General  Sherman,  to  rise 
and  fall  eight  times  in  twenty-four  hours,  to  a 
range  of  thirty  feet. 

In  Firehole  Yalley  a  vast  basin  of  one  hun- 
dred and  fifty  feet  in  diameter,  with  a  central 
orifice  of  twenty-five  feet,  throws  up  a  mass  of 
water  to  a  height  of  sixty  feet.  At  a  short  dis- 
tance, a  series  of  mud  pufis  spurt  up  with  a  sup- 
pressed thud  into  the  air,  spreading  around  their 
deposits  of  fine  silicious  clay,  in  every  hue,  from 
the  purest  white  to  a  bright  rich  pink. 


AROUND    THE   CAMP  FIRE.  57 

Above  all,  the  giant  geyser  projects  volumes 
of  boiling  water  upwards  of  two  hundred  feet  in 
height,  the  stream  mounting  a  thousand  feet  or 
more:  the  watery  pillar  sustaining  itself  un- 
broken for  twenty  minutes  at  a  time. 

This,  a  twin  geyser  of  scarcely  less  grandeur 
and  transcendent  feathery  column,  rivalling  in 
elegance  and  purity  the  triumph  of  Versailles  or 
Sydenham,  was  measured  to  rise  two  hundred 
and  nineteen  feet,  glittering  like  a  shower  of 
diamonds  in  the  sun. 

In  the  centre  of  this  region,  the  Yellowstone 
Lake  is  described  as  carrying  off  the  palm  of 
beauty  of  the  whole  scenery  of  the  world.  The 
great  canyon  and  lower  falls  of  the  Yellowstone 
river,  if  less  grand  than  Niagara,  would  seem  to 
excel  those  well-known  falls  in  beauty. 

The  Yosemite  itself  (pronounced  Yo-sem-e-te), 
the  recent  pride  of  the  American  continent, 
would  seem  in  many  respects  here  outdone. 
The  great  American  park  will  be  the  object  of 
tourists  ere  long,  as  now  travellers  go  to  see  the 
Alps  in  Switzerland. 

Now,  coming  to  our  story  for  the  night,  in  full 
view  of  this  river,  we  resume  our  narrative. 

Much  to  our  agreeable  surprise,  a  scout,  having 
a  Scotch  name,  but  a  full-blood  Indian  of  the 


58  BOEDER    TALES 

tribe  called  "Warm-Spring  Indians,"  named 
Donald  McKay,  came  into  our  camp  from  the 
Modoc  country  in  Oregon;  and  he  gave  us  his 
experience  of  Indian  traits  and  character  in  the 
Pacific  scope.  He  had  clear  views  of  Indian 
superstition,  and  of  the  phenomena  they  claim  to 
grow  out  of  their  belief. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

THE   ANIMAL  INSTINCT. 

Some  one  had  led  Mr.  McKay  to  speak  of  animal 
instinct,  and  thereby  hung  several  tales  that 
led  by  insensible  degrees  up  to  what  is  commonly 
called  the  supernatural. 

"I  know,"  said  he,  "that  animals  have  some 
means  of  communicating  ideas  to  each  other,  for 
I  have  seen  instances  of  such  communication  that 
I  couldn't  doubt.  A  dog,  for  instance,  will  talk 
with  another  dog,  and  has  a  perfect  knowledge 
of  whatever  his  master  says  to  him.  We  were  in 
an  hotel  in  the  east,  last  week,  the  proprietor  of 
which  had 


AROUND    TEE   CAMP  FIRE.  59 

A  VEKY  HANDSOME   SETTER 

that  knew  as  much  as  some  men  I  have  seen.  I 
saw  the  hotel  man  tell  this  animal  to  go  upstairs 
to  a  certain  room  and  come  down  again  in  a  few 
minutes.  The  dog  went  straight  where  he  was 
told,  and  while  he  was  gone  his  master  hid  a 
potato  in  one  of  the  spittoons.  When  the  dog 
came  back,  he  was  told  what  had  been  done,  and 
directed  to  find  the  potato.  There  was  a  wains- 
coting about  the  room,  with  a  ledge  on  the  top  of 
it.  The  first  thing  Mr.  Dog  did  was  to  raise 
himself  up  and  to  travel  all  about  the  room, 
nosing  that  ledge  to  see  if  that  potato  was  laid 
upon  it.  Then  he  went  to  the  spittoons  and 
nosed  among  them  until  he  found  what  had  been 
hidden." 

"  Shrewd  !"  said  another, — a  theatrical  manager, 
who  was  present, — "  but  I  saw  a  sharper  thing 
than  that  not  long  ago  in  Toledo.  The  manager 
of  the  opera-house  there  has  several 

VERY  FINE  IMPORTED  BIRD  DOGS 

that  he  keeps  about  the  theatre.  They  got  upon 
the  stage  one  night  while  the  performance  was 
going  on,  and  created  a  considerable  stir.      In 


60  BOBBER    TALES 

order  that  such  a  thing  shouldn't  happen  again, 
we  took  them  down  the  next  night  and  shut 
them  in  the  box  office.  That  evening,  when  I 
came  to  count  up,  I  found  the  cash  seventeen 
dollars  short.  I  called  the  manager  down  and 
he  tried  to  straighten  out  the  deficiency.  We 
couldn't  make  it  out  at  all.  It  came  out  just 
seventeen  dollars  short  every  time  we  counted. 
At  last  he  happened  to  notice  one  of  the  dogs  in 
the  corner,  with  a  sort  of  sneaking  expression  in 
his  face.  '  I'm  hanged,'  said  he,  '  if  I  don't  believe 
these  dogs  have  got  that  money.'  He  went  over, 
and  there,  sure  enough,  was  a  five-dollar  note  and 
a  two-dollar  note  wadded  up  under  that  dog's 
paw,  and  the  paw  was  stretched  out  so  as  to 
cover  the  bills  up  from  our  sight.  In  another 
corner  sat  another  dog,  looking  out  of  the  corners 
of  his  eyes,  with  his  nose  pointed  down,  and  his 
tongue  running  out  once  in  a  while  in  a  very 
quiet  way.  He  went  over  and  found  a  ten-dollar 
note  under  him.  Now,  what  do  you  suppose 
inclined  those  animals  to  sneak  up  and  steal  that 
money,  as  they  must  have  done  while  I  wasn't 
looking  ? " 

No  one  offered  any  theory. 

"I'll  tell  you  how  the  manager  explained  it. 
You  see,  he  had  been  in  the  habit  of  taking  them 


AROUND    THE   CAMP  FIRE,  61 

with  him  to  market,  and  giving  one  or  other  of 
them  a  twenty-five  cent  scrip  to  give  to  the 
butcher  for  meat.  He  believed  the  dogs  knew 
money  when  they  saw  it,  and  understood  that  it 
was  good  for  meat  at  the  market,  and  that  they 
just  cribbed  those  bills  to  buy  meat  with." 

This  explanation  was  greeted  with  a  general 
roar  by  all  but  the  narrator  and  Donald  McKay, 
the  latter  of  whom  seemed  to  take  it  as  perfectly 
reasonable. 

ANOTHEK  DOG  STOEY. 

"  I  tell  you,  gentlemen,"  said  he,  "  I've  faith  in 
animal  reason.  I  had  a  dog,  once — or,  rather, 
my  father  had — that  was  enough  smarter  than 
we  to  save  our  lives  upon  a  certain  night  in  the 
mountains  of  California.  We  had  been  down  to 
Sacramento,  my  father  and  I — I  was  nothing 
but  a  boy ;  it  was  in  the  early  times,  as  long  ago 
as  1850, 1  think — and  my  father  who  was  a  well- 
known  man  in  that  country,  had  been  entertained 
by  a  Mexican  gentleman  who  was  very  wealthy. 
They  got  up  a  bull  and  bear  fight  for  him,  and 
there  were  great  times.  When  we  were  coming 
away  this  Mexican  gave  my  father  a  great  dog, 
as  big  as  a  donkey  almost,  and  very  savage.     We 


62  BORDER    TALES 

had  a  good  deal  of  trouble,  I  remember,  in  getting 
him  reconciled  to  us  at  all,  but  after  a  while  he 
became  very  much  attached  to  us. 

"We  went  off  with  a  party  that  my  father 
organized,  into  the  hills  to  dig  for  gold.  Those 
were  the  times  when  miners  felt  as  though  they 
were  throwing  their  time  away  for  forty  or  fifty 
dollars'  worth  of  gold  in  a  day.  We  wanted  five 
or  six  hundred  or  more.  The  diggings  didn't 
suit  us,  so  my  father  and  I  and  Bute — that  was 
the  dog's  name — struck  out  to  prospect  a  creek 
about  thirty  miles  off.  We  were  up  on  the 
mountains  all  day,  climbing  and  prospecting 
around,  so  that  when  it  came  night  we  were 
tired  enough.  We  were  going  to  lie  down  in  a 
nice  open  place  under  a  tree  to  sleep,  when  my 
father  happened  to  see  Indians  watching  us.  We 
crawled  under  some  brushes  about  fifty  feet,  and 
took  Bute  in  with  us  and  lay  down  there,  and 
in  a  few  minutes  we  were  both  sound  asleep. 

"  I  don't  know  how  long  we  had  lain  there  when 
I  felt  my  father  nudge  me.  '  Wake  up,  Donald,' 
said  he,  '  there's  something  crawling  through  the 
brush.'  Then  I  felt  something,  tap — tap — tap, 
falling  across  my  legs.  I  tell  you,  I  was  scared — 
I  was  nothing  but  a  boy  then — and  I  put  my 
hand  down  and  caught  hold  of  the  thing  that  was 


ABOUND    THE   CAMP  FIRE.  63 

tapping  me.  It  was  Bute's  tail.  I  called  father's 
attention  to  it,  and  he  said  that  was  what  had 
waked  him  up.  Then  we  listened,  and  I  could 
hear  a  rustling  in  the  brush  every  minute  or  two. 
All  at  once  the  dog  got  up  and  made  a  rush  in 
the  direction  of  the  rustling.  In  about  half  a 
minute  we  heard  the  most  awful  noise  I  have 
ever  listened  to.  It  wasn't  a  bark,  nor  a  growl, 
nor  a  roar,  but  all  three  together ;  and  then  there 
was  a  most  terrific  rumpus.  My  father  said,  '  Get 
up  and  run.'  We  didn't  wait  to  see  what  the 
trouble  was,  but  we  got  away  from  there  without 
loss  of  time,  and  ran  for  about  five  minutes, 
when  my  father  stopped  himself  by  throwing  his 
arm  around  a  tree ;  and  we  both  laid  down  on 
the  ground.  In  a  little  while  the  dog  came  back, 
and  I  noticed  that  his  head  looked  black  and 
queer. 

"When  daylight  broke  we  found  out  two 
things  that  surprised  us  more  than  a  little.  The 
first  was,  that  if  we  had  run  three  feet  further 
than  the  tree  we  would  have  run  over  a  sheer 
precipice  of  a  thousand  feet ;  and  the  other,  that 
Bute's  head  was  covered  with  blood.  We  went 
back  to  the  place  where  we  were  the  night 
before,  and  some  thirty  feet  from  it  we  found  a 
dead  Indian,  on  his  back,  with  his  throat  all  torn 


64  BORDER    TALES 

away.  The  dog  knew  what  the  danger  was,  and 
first  woke  us  up  with  his  tail  and  then  went 
and  killed  the  Indian." 

This  story,  and  the  dramatic  manner  in  which 
it  was  told,  rather  deadened  the  spirits  of  the 
party  for  a  moment,  until  another  member  of  it 
related 

ANOTHEE  INSTANCE   OF  DOG  SENSE, 

in  which  a  little  terrier  had  frightened  a  great 
Newfoundland  out  of  possession  of  a  piece  of 
meat. 

"The  Indians  all  believe  that  animals  have 
spirits,"  said  Mr.  McKay.  "  They  certainly  have 
intelligence,  and  some  means  of  communicating 
their  ideas  from  one  to  another.  What  it  is  I 
don't  profess  to  know;  but  there  are  Indians 
what  do.  That  is  to  say,  there  are  Indians  who 
claim  to  possess  the  secret  of  the  language  of 
animals.  One  old  woman  of  my  tribe — the 
Cayeuse  tribe — I  know  very  well,  who  has  done 
some  very  strange  things  in  that  way.  Mind,  I 
don't  believe  in  such  things  myself,  but  there  is 
something  in  it,  more  than  any  of  us  can  find  out. 

"For  example,  I  will  tell  you  of  one  message 
this  woman  brought  to  me  from  one  of  my  horses. 


AROUND   THE  CAMP  FIBE.  65 

I  have  about  five  thousand  head  of  horses  and 
cattle,  and  some  of  them  are  of  fine  breeds.  I 
had  one  very  handsome  bay  horse  that  was  a 
runner.  You  know  the  Indians  are  very  fond  of 
running  races.  This  horse  had  beaten  every- 
thing in  all  that  country,  and  I  had  agreed  to  let 
him  run  against  a  horse  that  an  Indian  had 
brought  up  from  the  South  somewhere.  The  day 
before  the  race  this  old  woman  I  speak  of  came 
riding  along  past  my  place,  where  the  horse  was 
picketed  in  an  enclosure.  When  she  came  near, 
the  horse  *  nickered'  and  ran  up  to  the  fence, 
and  whinnered  for  a  minute  or  so.  The  old 
woman  came  to  me  and  said,  'You  mustn't  let 
that  horse  run  to-morrow.'  I  asked  her  why 
not.  '  Because,'  said  she, '  he  is  not  in  condition  to 
run.  He's  not  well,  and  he'll  be  beaten  and  come 
out  lame.'  Well,  of  course,  I  paid  no  attention 
to  that,  and  the  next  day  the  race  was  run.  It 
came  out  just  as  the  old  woman  said.  The  horse 
was  the  worst-beaten  horse  I  ever  saw,  and  he 
went  lame  in  one  of  his  forelegs  for  months 
afterward. 

"  Well,  you  might  say,  '  it  happened  so.'  That 
was  what  we  said.  But  there  was  to  be  an- 
other race  shortly  afterward,  between  the  horse 
that  beat  mine   and  another.      The  horse  that 

F 


66  BORDER    TALES 

beat  mine  was  tethered  and  awaiting  for  the 
race  when  this  same  old  woman  came  along. 
He  was  cavorting  and  jumping  around  very  un- 
easily, and  any  one  would  have  supposed  he  was 
full  of  fire  and  life.  But  as  soon  as  she  came 
near  he  ran  up  to  her  and  began  to  nicker.  She 
came  to  where  we  were  standing,  and  said  to  his 
proprietor,  '  That  horse  says  if  he  runs  to-day  he 
will  win  the  race,  but  he'll  die  within  three  days.' 
The  man  laughed  and  paid  no  attention  to  her. 
The  race  came  off*  and  the  next  day  the  horse 
lay  down  and  died.  Now,  perhaps  some  of  you 
gentlemen  who  read  a  good  deal  can  explain 
these  things.  I  cant.  There's  something  in 
them  that  I  don't  pretend  to  understand. 

"  There  was  another  old  woman  in  my  tribe, 
with  whom  I  have  talked  myself,  several  times, 
who  once  died,  and  was  dead  three  days  and 
came  back  to  life,  and  told  of  seeing  the 

SPIKITS  OF  ANIMALS  IN  THE  OTHER  WORLD 

— what  we  call  the  happy  hunting  ground." 
"  Tell  us  about  it,"  chimed  in  three  or  four. 
"  Well,  I  don't  know  whether  you  would  say 
she  died  or  not.     I  believe  there  are  phases  of 
catalepsy  that  produce  trances  like  that.     But 


ABOUND    THE   CAMP  FIRE,  67 

there  was  a  strange  circumstance  connected  with 
the  trance  that  makes  it  somewhat  different  from 
other  cases  I  have  heard  of  among  you  white 
men.  When  a  Cayeuse  dies,  it  is  a  custom  to 
wait  until  all  the  relatives  see  the  body  before 
the  burial  takes  place.  When  this  old  woman 
died — or  seemed  to  die — one  of  her  sons  was 
about  a  hundred  miles  or  so  away,  and  he  had  to 
be  sent  for  to  come  home.  It  was  the  third  day 
after  when  he  came ;  and  they  were  just  about 
to  bury  the  body,  when 

LIFE  CAME  BACK   AGAIN. 

The  old  woman  sat  up,  and  began  to  sing  a  song 
that  was  strange  to  the  ears  of  the  people.  All 
our  Indian  songs  have  meanings;  and  though 
they  sound  all  alike  to  you  white  men,  there  is  a 
great  difference  between  them.  When  an  Indian 
comes  to  hear  one  of  your  violin  or  piano  players, 
the  music  seems  to  him  just  what  our  music 
seems  to  you — nothing  but  a  bum-bum,  any  way. 
Well,  this  song  was  very  strange  ;  and  when  the 
old  woman  had  finished  singing  it,  she  explained 
that  she  had  learned  it  from  the  spirits.  She 
said  she  had  really  died ;  and  that  the  first  she 
knew  she  was  lying  on  the  grass  in  a  beautiful 


68  BORDER    TALES 

country,  and  the  spirits  of  animals  and  birds 
were  moving  about,  and  everything  was  happy 
and  pleasant.  Then  she  wandered  about  awhile, 
and  came  to  the  spirits  of 

THE   OLD  CHIEF,   KOOM, 

and  his  warriors.  Koom  was  an  old  chief  that 
had  died  a  great,  great  many  years  before.  He 
had  been  a  tyrant  and  a  wicked  man  while  he 
was  alive,  and  had  a  band  of  followers  who  were 
as  hard  as  he.  These  spirits  were  black,  and 
they  seemed  very  downhearted  and  gloomy. 
There  seemed  to  be  a  line  in  that  country,  and 
on  one  side  of  it  everything  was  beautiful  and 
pleasant,  and  on  the  other  side  everything  was 
barren  and  ugly.  Koom  and  his  warriors  were 
on  the  bad  side.  On  the  other  side  she  saw 
Towanka  and  his  people,  among  whom  were 
many  that  she  knew;  and  they  were  enjoying 
themselves  and  having  a  good  time  of  it. 
Towanka  was  also  an  old  Cayeuse  chief,  dead 
many  years,  who  in  his  life  had  been 

A  GOOD  AND  JUST  MAN. 

She  went  over  to  them,  and  they  told  her  she 
had  died  before  her  time ;  that  she  was  not  pre- 


AROUND    THE  CAMP  FIRE.  69 

pared  for  that  happy  land,  and  must  go  back 
again  for  three  years  to  her  people.  Before  they 
sent  her  back  they  taught  her  this  song  and  told 
her  that  her  people  should  sing  it  at  burials,  be- 
cause it  would  help  the  spirit  of  the  dead  person 
on  its  way  to  the  happy  hunting  grounds.  And 
to  this  day  that  song  is  sung  at  Indian  funerals. 
I  saw  her  many  a  time  afterward,  before  she 
died — and,  by  the  way,  she  died  in  just  three 
years  from  that  trance." 

"  She  was  what  a  white  spiritualist  would 
call 

A  TRANCE  MEDIUM, 

wasn't  she  ? "  asked  one  who  had  given  consider- 
able study  to  spiritual  phenomena. 

"  I  suppose  so.  I  didn't  know  anything  about 
what  you  call  spiritualism  until  I  came  east," 
replied  McKay.  "  But  the  same  thing  has  been 
known  and  recognized  among  the  Indians,  at  least 
of  Oregon  and  Washington,  these  hundreds  of 
years.  We  have  what  we  call  our  medicine  men, 
who  practise  it.  The  Indians  are  great  believers 
in  spirits  and  dreams.  I  suppose  it  is  natural 
for  men  who  are  alone  with  nature  most  of  their 
lives  to  be  superstitious.     I  have  heard  that  your 


70  BORDER    TALES 

white  sailors  become  superstitious  from  being  so 
much  in  the  solitudes  of  the  sea.  Why  shouldn't 
the  Indians,  from  being  in  the  solitudes  of  the 
mountains  and  the  forests  ?  A  brave  lies  down  to 
sleep,  and  wakes  up  and  says,  '  To-day  I  will  be 
killed,'  or '  To-day  I  will  kill  some  one,'  or  '  To-day 
such  and  such  a  thing  will  happen  to  me/  They 
dream  it,  and  they  believe  what  they  dream. 


THE  MEDICINE  MEN 

go  to  sleep,  and  the  spirits  of  birds  or  beasts  or 
snakes  come  and  tell  them  what  will  happen. 
Each  medicine  man  has  what  he  calls  his  great 
medicine — the  spirit  of  an  eagle  or  a  buffalo, 
or  a  rattlesnake  or  some  other  animal.  The 
rattlesnake  is  the  greatest  medicine.  It  used  to 
be  so  that  a  medicine  man's  life  was  not  safe  for 
a  moment.  You  understand,  the  people  hire 
them  when  there  is  sickness.  Suppose  you  had 
a  sick  child,  and  I  am  a  medicine  man,  and  you 
call  me  to  see  it.  I  go,  and  when  I  have  seen  it 
and  you  pay  me,  I  go  away,  and  the  child  grows 
no  better — perhaps  worse.  You  call  in  another 
medicine  man,  who  has  a  spite  against  me.  He 
looks  at  your  child,  and  says,  '  I  can't  do  any- 


ABOUND   TEE   CAMP  FIRE.  71 

thing  for  it ;  the  other  medicine  man  has  a  spite 
against  you  for  something,  and  he  has  put  his 
strong  medicine  in  her '  (that  is,  what  your  white 
medicine  men  call  magnetism),  '  and  mine  is  not 
strong  enough  to  overcome  it.  She  will  die/ 
Then,  you  say  nothing,  but  you  go  and  kill  me, 
and  that  ends  it.  Nothing  is  done  to  you.  So  it 
was  that  medicine  men  were  not  safe.  Lately 
the  people  have  some  new  religion  that  I  don't 
understand,  but  it  must  be  better  than  the  old, 
for  the  medicine  men  are  no  longer  in  peril  of 
their  lives." 

"Do  the  medicine  men  have  to  go  through 
some  preparation  for  their  profession  ? "  some  one 
asked. 

"  Oh  yes,  of  course.  For  instance,  suppose  you 
were  a  chief,  and  you  had  a  son  you  thought  had 
some  fitness  for  being  a  medicine  man  ;  you  send 
for  the  medicine  men,  and  they  come  and  hold  a 
council  about  it,  and  find  out  if  the  boy  has  any 
medicine " 

"  Any  familiar  spirit  ?  " 

"  Yes.  And  if  they  find  he  has,  they  teach  him 
a  little  at  a  time.  He  has  to  commence  small. 
His  medicine  at  first  is  probably  some  small  bird 
or  little  animal.  Then  he  gets  along  farther, 
until  maybe  he  reaches  the  owl "  (pointing  to  a 


72  BORDER   TALE 8 

large  stuffed  specimen  of  the  owl  kind  that  stood 
near),  "  and  when  he  comes  that  far,  he  is  wise. 
If  I  was  a  medicine  man  and  understood  what 
that  bird  knew  when  it  was  alive,  I  would  be 
wise,  for  I  could  see  farther  than  other  men,  and 
see  in  the  dark,  as  the  owl  can.  The  big  poison 
or 

BIG  MEDICINE  IS   THE  RATTLESNAKE. 

That  is  the  greatest  and  the  wisest  of  them  all. 
If  it  is  a  girl  that  wishes  to  become  a  medicine 
woman,  she  is  taken  when  she  is  thirteen  or 
fourteen,  and  put  in  a  dark  tepee  and  kept  there 
five  days.  No  one  can  see  her.  Food  is  pat 
into  the  tepee  for  her,  and  she  is  left  quite  alone 
with  the  spirits.  Then,  on  the  fifth  day,  the  big 
medicine  man  goes  in  and  mesmerizes  her,  and 
she  becomes  stiff  and  hard  as  a  figure  of  stone, 
and  remains  so  until  the  big  medicine  man  re- 
leases her.  When  she  comes  to  again,  she  has 
medicine.  She  is  a  medicine  woman.  Sometimes 
they  have 

MEDICINE  DANCES, 

to  see  who  is  the  greatest.  Maybe  it  is  the  big 
medicine  men  that  give  it ;  maybe  it  is  a  chief, 


AROUND    THE  CAMP  FIRE.  73 

who  says, '  Gome,  now,  let  us  see  who  is  the  most 
skilful  among  you.'  Whoever  it  is  pays  all  the 
expenses  and  feeds  the  people  while  it  lasts — 
probably  five  days.  The  Indians  come  in  from 
great  distances.  A  platform  is  built  on  pieces  of 
wood  that  spring  up  and  down,  and  over  the 
platform  is  thrown  a  buffalo  skin.  Then  the 
chief  or  whoever  it  is  that  gives  the  feast  says, 
'  Now,  who  is  the  medicine  man  ?  Come,  let  us 
see.'  The  medicine  men  always  allow  the  oldest 
to  go  first.  He  mounts  up  on  the  platform,  and 
begins  to  spring  it  up  and  down  and  sing ;  and 
all  the  people  follow  his  motions  with  their 
hands,  and  sing  too.  By-and-by  his  medicine 
comes,  and  he  speaks  wisdom.  Then  he  goes 
down,  and  the  chief  repeats  the  invitation.  Sup- 
pose there  is  some  young  fellow  in  the  crowd  who 
can  do  some  little  tricks,  and  has  some  medicine, 
and  he  wants  to  show  what  he  can  do,  he  sings 
out,  '  Well,  I  can  do  these  things  like  him ; '  and 
he  jumps  upon  the  platform  and  begins  to  spring 
it  up  and  down  and  sing,  while  the  people  keep 
time  and  sing  as  before.  The  older  medicine 
men  don't  like  this.  They  say  among  them- 
selves, '  Who  is  this  young  fellow  that  puts  him- 
self forward  before  the  medicine  men  ?  We  will 
teach  him  a  lesson.'  So  they  close  their  eyes,  and 
they  say  they 


74  BORDER    TALES 

SEE  HIS  MEDICINE  COMING. 

They  tell  what  it  is — maybe  a  buffalo.  They 
tell  what  divide  it  is  coming  down,  and  what  it 
is  like,  and  when  it  is  coming  nearer  and  nearer, 
until  one  cries  out, '  Here  it  is,'  and  catches  at 
it,  and  all  the  medicine  men  pitch  upon  it,  and 
throw  it  down.  Then  the  young  fellow  cannot 
have  his  medicine.  They  hold  it,  and  he  knows 
they  have  been  too  smart  for  him.  He  falls 
down  upon  the  platform,  and  begs,  '  Here,  I  have 
so  many  horses  and  so  many  cattle,  and  so  on. 
Take  it  all,  only  let  me  live.'  That  is  enough. 
The  medicine  men  have  got  his  property,  and 
they  let  him  go." 

''  These  proceedings  are  not  unlike  some  that 
the  media  go  through — I  mean  in  general,  not 
with  regard  to  the  fleecing  of  an  aspirant,"  sug- 
gested the  spirit  student.  "  And  I  dare  say  the 
white  spiritualist  would  indorse  them,  so  far  as 
they  go,  with  the  explanation  that  as  the  Indians 
are  controlled  by  the  lower  animals,  the  mani- 
festations are  necessarily  base  and  of  an  inferior 
order." 

"  My  brother,  Dr.  McKay,  who  was  educated 
and  practises  medicine  in  a  New  England  city," 
pursued  Mr.  McKay,  "  was  out  to  visit  us  a  year 


ABOUND    THE   CAMP  FIRE,  75 

or  two  ago,  and  I  remember  his  making  a  speech 
to  our  people,  which  I  interpreted,  in  which  he 

CALLED   THEM  FOOLS 

for  listening  to,  much  less  believing  in,  such  non- 
sense. We  called  to  see  him  a  few  weeks  ago, 
and  while  we  were  at  his  house  there  came  a 
very  nice-looking  lady,  who  said  she  wanted  to 
see  the  Indians.  We  were  shown  to  her;  and 
then  she  said  she  was  a  medium,  and  that  she 
had  received  a  communication  from  her  control- 
ling spirit,  directing  her  to  call  upon  us  and 
transmit  a  message.  The  Indians,  when  I  ex- 
plained it  to  them,  at  once  formed  about  her  as 
they  do  about  their  medicine  men  at  home,  and 
began  to  sing.  In  a  moment  she  went  into  a 
trance,  and  began  to  speak  in  the  Indian  tongue. 
I  paid  little  attention  to  it,  for,  as  I  told  you,  I 
don't  understand  such  things,  and  don't  like  to 
meddle  with  them ;  but  the  Indians  told  me  that 
she  gave  them  a  message  from  an  old  chief  who 
long  since  passed  away.  I  had  a  laugh  at  my 
brother  about  it.  '  You  called  us  ignorant  fools 
for  believing  in  such  things  out  in  the  west,' 
said  I,  'and  yet  when  I  come  east  among  the 
enlightened  white  folks  I  find  them  going  on 
just  the  same.'     He  hadn't  a  word  to  say." 


76  BORDER    TALES 


CHAPTEE  XIV. 

A  CONTINUATION  OF  THE   SUPEENATURAL. 

As  an  instance  of  some  strange  coincidences  we 
cannot  explain,  with  our  limited  knowledge,  we 
have  a  remarkable  event  to  narrate  in  the  acci- 
dent and  death  of 

BISHOP  HENRY  W.  LEE,  OF  IOWA. 

Bishop  Lee,  well  known,  and  for  years  the  per- 
sonal friend  of  the  writer,  resided  in  Davenport, 
Iowa,  in  1874.  One  night  in  September  (we 
think  it  was),  he  rose  from  his  bed  to  get  a  glass 
of  water.  The  room  was  dark,  and  he  mistook 
his  way  into  another  room,  and  feU  upon  the 
stairs,  thereby  dislocating  one  of  his  wrists,  which 
was  very  painful,  but  not  supposed  alarming. 
He  had,  at  that  time,  a  son  living  in  Kansas,  with 
his  wife.  At  two  o'clock  the  son  awoke  out  of 
sleep,  and  addressed  his  wife,  saying,  "I  have 
had  a  bad  dream ;  something  has  happened  to 
father."     He  looked  at  his  watch,  and  saw  it  was 


AROUND    TEE   CAMP  FIRE,  77 

just  two  o'clock.      This  corresponded  with  the 
exact  time  the  accident  had  occurred  ! 

The  bishop's  physician  had  been  obliged  to 
amputate  the  hand  in  the  morning,  but  gangrene 
set  in,  and  in  a  few  days  he  died. 


CHAPTER  XV. 

The  next  day  an  order  came  from  the  War  De- 
partment to  go  into  ''  winter  quarters,"  and  the 
soldiers  went  to  work  in  building  suitable  bar- 
racks for  the  officers  and  themselves,  at  Fort 
David  Russell,  three  miles  from  Cheyenne.  But 
I  know  my  young  friends  are  becoming  very 
anxious  to  commence  the  romance  in  Part  II., 
therefore  I  will  not  detain  them  by  enumerating 
the  many  difficulties  connected  with  building 
a  "  post,"  sometimes  called  a  fort,  far  away  from 
civilization.  I  will  merely  say  that  during  the 
long  winter  evenings,  after  the  barracks  were 
completed,  the  lieutenant  enlivened  our  stay  by 
telling  us  the  remainder  of  his  story  of  "The 
Twin  Brothers."  I  hope  my  readers  may  find  it 
as  interesting  to  them  as  it  was  to  us. 


PART IL 

'the  twin  beothers. 

A   KOMANCE   OF   THE   FOREST. 
A  Tale  of  Indian  Life  among  the  Cayuga  Indians. 


'  Owasco's  waters  sweetly  slept, 

Owasco's  banks  were  bright  and  green ; 
The  willow  on  her  margin  wept, 

The  wild-fowl  on  her  wave  were  seen  : 
And  nature's  golden  charms  were  shed 
As  richly  round  her  quiet  bed. 
From  flowered  mead  to  mountain  brow, 
A  century  since,  as  they  are  now ; 
The  same  pure  pui-ple  light  was  flung 

At  morn  across  the  water's  breast ; 
The  same  rich  crimson  curtains  hung 

At  eve  around  the  glowing  west." 


In  1856,  in  my  youth,  I  contributed  to  the  Auburn 
Miscellany  some  of  my  early  productions.  The  late  Mr. 
Frederick  Prince  was  publisher  and  printer.  It  is  due  to  his 
memory  to  say  that  the  following  story  is  the  joint  work  of 
him  and  myself.  It  is  hoped,  in  its  new  dress,  that  it  will 
lose  nothing  of  the  interest  which  attended  its  first  intro- 
duction, especially  among  my  early  friends  in  Western  New 
York. 

The  Author. 


THE   TWIN  BEOTHEES. 

CHAPTER  I. 

It  was  during  the  early  day,  the  day-dawn,  of 
American  history,  that  the  stirring  scenes  of  our 
main  story  begin,  when  history  tells  of  the  fear- 
less march  of  General  Sullivan  through  New  York 
State,  along  the  Mohawk  river  to  Lake  Erie, 
followed  by  his  band  of  dauntless  continental 
heroes,  traversing  the  woods  and  swamps,  and 
fording  rivers,  meeting  with  opposition  from  the 
Indians,  who  felt  that  no  white  man  had  the  right 
to  trespass  on  their  hunting  grounds,  or  fish  in 
their  streams,  which  the  Great  Spirit  had  made 
for  His  favourite  children,  the  red  men  of  the 
forest. 

On  the  1st  of  September,  1779,  two  Dutchmen, 
born  in  New  Amsterdam  (now  New  York),  were 
standing  on  the  shore  of  the  river  Hudson,  about 
half-way  between  Yonkers  and  Dobb's  Ferry,  near 
a  small  cluster  of  log  houses. 

"Do  you  see  that  craft  sailing  up  the  river 

G 


82  BORDER    TALES 

from  New  Amsterdam  ?"  said  one  of  them,  named 
Dick  Van  Buren,  a  stalwart-built  young  man  of 
nineteen,  to  his  cousin  and  companion,  young 
Diedrich  Knickerbocker.  "  There  are  guilders, 
bright  and  shining,  stored  away  on  that  craft ; " 
and,  shading  his  eyes  with  his  hand  from  the  sun, 
he  took  a  good  look  at  the  cutter,  as  she  tossed 
the  spray  from  her  prow  while  beating  up  against 
wind  and  tide. 

"  Gold,  did  you  say,  cousin  Dick  ? " 

"  Yaw,  yaw,  mein  himmel;  dere  is  dat  same  ting 
in  heaps,  bagsful.'' 

"  Maybe  too,"  replied  the  other. 

"  I  knows  it;  yes,  I  knows  all  about  it. — 
What  youb  say  to  yonder  sail,  Mister  Le  Fort  ?  " 
turning  to  a  tall  figure  with  a  French  aspect, 
visible  as  he  approached  the  two  Dutchmen. 

"  What  do  I  say  about  that  clipper,  down  in 
the  turn  of  the  river  ?  "  replied  Le  Fort. 

''  Oh,  yaw,  yaw,  I  think  she's  got  a  precious 
cargo,"  said  Van  Buren. 

"No.  She's  an  American  cruiser,  a  sort  of 
phantom  ship,  that  never  comes  and  goes,  never 
lands  a  cargo.  Her  skipper  always  sleeps  with 
one  eye  open ;  knows  all  the  pirates  of  the  sea ; 
and  all  the  land-sharks  also,  who  swarm  here,  he 
knows  better  than  you  or  I." 


AROUND    THE   CAMP  FIRE,  83 

"  Well,  what  do  I  know,  do  you  think  ?  "  said 
the  Dutchman,  colouring  in  the  face. 

"  You  know  quite  enough  to  enable  the  king's 
customs  to  buy  a  halter  for  your  neck  for  '  lift- 
ing' some  of  the  plunder  from  vessels  trading 
here/'  said  Le  Fort. 

"Now,  you  stop  such  insinuations,"  said  the 
other  young  fellow,  "  against  Van  Buren." 

"No,  no,"  said  Van  Buren;  "  nor  shall  you  accuse 
me  of  plunder,  when  you  are  hand  and  glove, 
cahoot,  with  all  the  outlaws  between  the  East  and 
North  rivers,  and  on  Long  Island." 

"  It's  a  downright  lie ;  and  he  who  utters  such 
words  shall  eat  them,  and  sink  or  float  in  the 
stream!"  loudly  spoke  Le  Fort,  as  his  angry 
tones  almost  choked  him  with  rage,  while  his 
eyes  flashed  defiance  to  both  of  them. 

"I  may  eat  my  own  words,  but  you  can't 
choke  me  down  with  yours,"  said  Van  Buren, 
giving  his  duck  trousers  a  hoist,  and  twirling  a 
chew  of  pigtail  tobacco  in  his  cheek. 

"  Then  take  that  to  chew  first,"  said  Le  Fort, 
as  he  raised  his  stalwart  arm,  and  giving  Van 
Buren  a  blow  which  was  enough  to  fell  an  ox. 

''  And  so  I  spit  at  you,"  said  Van  Buren,  as  he 
planted  a  settler  between  the  eyes  of  Le  Fort. 

"  You'll  swallow  yet,  or  choke,"  said  the  latter. 


84  BORDER    TALES 

as  he  recovered  himself,  and  threw  his  whole 
weight  forward,  grappling  his  adversary  by  the 
throat  with  a  power  that  soon  made  the  com- 
plexion of  Van  Buren  turn  a  dark  hue,  his  eyes 
to  shoot  out,  and  his  tongue  to  come  out  of  his 
mouth,  forced  by  the  tight  grip  of  his  enemy. 

"  Enough  !  hold  ! "  cried  Diedrich.     "  Oh,  mine 
Got !   I'll  tear  you  limb  from  limb." 

Le  Fort  knew  the  almost  superhuman  strength 
of  the  lad  who  spoke,  but  his  French  blood  was 
roused,  and  he  still  held  fast  his  victim. 
"  Will  you  let  go  ? "  called  out  the  youth. 
"  No,"  replied  Le  Fort ;  "  I  will  not." 
"Then  you'll  hold  no  pipe  in  one  hand  this 
night,"  answered  Diedrich,  as  he  seized  the  hand 
still  clutching  the  throat  of  his  cousin,  and  with 
a  sudden  twist,  crushed  the  bones  of  Le  Fort's 
arm,  causing  him  to  loose  his  hold;  when  Van 
Buren,   almost   strangled,  fell   down   half  dead. 
''  See  that,  you  rascal ! "  said  the  youth,  as  with 
a  powerful  push  he  thrust   Le   Fort  from  him, 
and  giving  another  twist  on  his  arm,  he  let  go, 
and  Le  Fort  suddenly  found  himself  sprawling 
several  feet  away.     "  Didn't  I  tell  you  to  let  go  ?  " 
The  breathless  Van  Buren  began   to   recover- 
slowly  on   the   ground,   but   could   not  utter   a 
word;    while  Le  Fort,  writhing   in   deep   pain, 


AROUND    THE   CAMP  FIRE,  85 

rushed  away  toward  the  settlement,  vowing  in- 
wardly  a   dire   revenge   for   the  insult  he   had 

received. 

*  *  *  *  * 

As  soon  as  Van  Buren  had  renewed  his  speech, 
he  cursed  his  foe,  and  uttered  all  sorts  of  epithets 
against  Le  Fort. 

"  Cursed  traitor !  "  exclaimed  he,  "  to  turn  in- 
former and  betray  his  neighbours!  Does  he, 
think  you,  cousin,  imagine  that  he  can  put  a 
stop  to  a  Van  Buren  s  trade  ?  Look  here, 
Diedrich  "  (raising  himself  up) — "  you  hear  what 
I  say  ? — that  sneaking,  praying  tell-tale  shall  die 
for  this." 

"  No,  Hans ;  you  mustn't  take  from  any  one 
what  you  can't  restore.  Blood  for  blood  is  the 
law,  and  we  must  let  him  bide  his  time." 

''  Ah,  yes ;  but  his  days  are  short  if  he  dares  to 
cross  my  path  again.  But,  Diedrich,  look  at  that 
craft.  As  I  live,  I  believe  she's  making  for  the 
shore." 

"True  enough,"  replied  the  other.  "But  can 
you  see  the  shining  sovereigns,  Van  Buren  ? " — 
as  he  smiled  at  his  cousin. 

"  You  bet  your  dollar,  I  will  see  them  " — as  he 
bent  his  eyes  on  the  skipper,  sailing  her  way 
along  the  stream  like  a  duck  in  the  river. 


86  BORDER   TALES 

"  Honest,  of  course  ? "  said  Diedrieh. 

"  Oh,  yaw,  yaw,"  playfully  said  the  other. 

"  But  look !  yonder  comes  Le  Fort  back  again, 
mit  four  of  his  comrades." 

"Yes,  so  it  is,"  muttered  the  youth,  as  he 
pressed  his  teeth  tightly  together.  "Diedrieh, 
if  they  mean  fight,  stand  still,  and  I  will  meet 
them,  if  I  die  for  it !  " 

Young  Van  Buren,  afraid  of  nothing,  stood 
eyeing  the  vessel  and  the  coming  party.  The 
long,  low,  black  schooner,  so  different  from  any 
he  had  ever  seen  before,  puzzled  him.  But  his 
attention  was  recalled  to  Le  Fort  and  his  party 
of  four,  drawing  near. 

Slowly  Le  Fort  and  his  party  came  toward  the 
bank,  while  he  held  his  injured  arm  and  hand 
with  the  other.  Soon  they  halted  a  little  way 
off,  and  began  to  consult  what  they  would  do. 
But  by-and-by  they  drew  near,  and  Le  Fort 
said,  "  There  they  are,  and  you  see  they  were  two 
upon  one.     I  had  a  poor  show  for  my  life." 

Van  Buren  went  forward  a  few  steps  to  meet 
them,  when  Le  Fort,  becoming  almost  mad  with 
anger,  and  excited  with  pain  of  his  injured  limb, 
seized  his  long  knife  from  behind,  and  rushed 
upon  his  enemy,  bidding  the  rest  to  follow. 

Le  Fort's  blow,  aimed  at  Van  Buren,  was  parried 


AROUND    THE  CAMP  FIRE.  87 

by  the  latter,  and  they  immediately  closed  in,  the 
former  being  thrown  to  the  ground. 

"  Do  you  take  me  for  a  mad  dog,  by  attacking 
me  in  this  way  ? " 

Le  Fort's  companions  hesitated,  and  gazed 
upon  the  stalwart  young  Dutchman.  His  eyes 
flashed  fire,  but  he  was  cool  enough  to  stop  with 
out  further  damage.  Standing  on  the  defensive, 
he  felt  his  superior  strength  to  his  enemy.  Le 
Fort  lay  still,  stunned  by  his  fall,  and  Diedrich, 
on  seeing  the  struggle  of  Van  Buren  with  Le 
Fort,  rushed  forward  madly  to  his  aid. 

"  Stop,  Van  ! "  cried  the  youth.  "  Leave  him 
to  me ;  I'll  soon  finish  him  if  his  comrades 
interfere." 

But  they  did  not. 

It  was  at  this  time  that  Diedrich  espied  that 
the  schooner  had  port-holes,  and  was  armed  with 
long  six-pounders.  No  such  vessel  cruised  the 
Hudson,  and  to  his  surprise  he  saw,  among  the 
large  crowd  on  the  deck,  one  clad  in  bright  red 
uniform,  in  his  Majesty's  service. 

Much  as  they  would  have  been  glad  to  row  off 
from  the  shore  in  a  boat,  to  explore  the  strange 
craft,  they  could  only  stand  and  gaze  with  won- 
der till  the  night  closed  in,  while  the  vessel  rode 
safely  at  anchor  in  the  stream. 


88  BORDER    TALES 

At  day-dawn  the  whole  neighbourhood  had 
gathered  on  the  bank,  watching  closely  the 
movements  on  board ;  and,  strange  to  say,  they 
soon  spied  the  form  of  the  tall  half-breed,  Le  Fort, 
talking  with  the  officer,  as  they  paced  the  deck. 

'*  What  do  you  suppose  that  means  ? "  asked 
Diedrich  of  his  cousin. 

*'  I'm  sure  I  can't  tell,"  was  the  reply. 

But  very  soon  a  skiff  containing  a  dozen  per- 
sons, a  young  lady  among  them,  was  seen  to  push 
off  from  the  craft,  pulling  up  stream  toward  the 
shore,  and  was  soon  lost  in  the  bend  of  the  river. 

"  That  chap  Le  Fort  has  humbugged  us  fairly," 
said  Van  to  Diedrich. 

"  Oh,  yaw,  yaw,"  said  he,  looking  sad  and  dis- 
appointed. 

Nothing  more  passed  between  them;  and 
before  the  sun  had  set,  it  was  seen  that  Diedrich 
Knickerbocker  had  gone  off,  no  one  knew 
whither. 

***** 

You  remember  that  Le  Fort  was  left  the  day 
before  prone  to  the  earth,  and  after  they  left  him 
he  picked  himself  up  with  an  effort,  and  wended 
his  way  to  his  log  cabin,  which  stood  quite  hid  in 
a  beech  grove.  As  soon  as  it  became  dark,  he  set 
out  to  find  the  spot  where  the  vessel  rode  at 


ABOUND    THE   CAMP  FIRE,  89 

anchor.  As  he  came  near  in  a  small  skiff,  he 
was  challenged  from  on  deck  by  a  sentinel — 
''  Who  goes  there  ? "  After  a  few  words,  he  was 
helped  up  the  side  on  board,  and  at  once  went 
down  into  the  cabin.  The  next  morning,  persons 
on  shore  saw  him  talking  eagerly  with  a  crowd 
on  deck. 

Toward  evening,  the  boat  which  had  been 
rowed  up  the  river  was  seen  coming  back, 
with  Le  Fort  and  two  others.  Soon  after  he 
landed,  the  schooner  was  seen  to  upheave  her 
anchor  and  sail  away  down  stream  towards 
Mannahatta. 

All  sorts  of  surmises  arose  on  shore  after  the 
vessel  had  gotten  out  of  sight,  and  their  curiosity 
was  heightened  more  the  next  day  at  finding  Le 
Fort  missing,  as  well  as  Knickerbocker.  The 
reason  of  the  absence  of  Diedrich  could  not  be 
guessed,  as  he  was  nearly  always  at  home  ;  while 
the  other  was  so  often  away  as  to  excite  no 
suspicion. 

Day  and  week  followed  each  other,  but  no 
tidings  had  come  from  either.  The  party  of  Le 
Fort,  who  went  up  the  Hudson  in  the  boat,  no- 
body could  learn  anything  of;  but  feeling  as 
though  some  clue  could  be  had,  the  settlers  made 
up  a  hunting  party,  and  went  the  same  way  as 


90 


BOEDER    TALES 


they  had  seen  the  boat  rowed.  However,  a  week's 
prowling  along  the  banks  as  far  up  as  Haver- 
straw  gave  no  satisfaction,  and  they  set  their 
faces  toward  home  again,  with  lots  of  game,  such 
as  squirrels,  partridges,  pigeons,   and  wild  ducks. 


SETTLEKS   ENCAMPED. 


Then  they  went  up  again  on  the  other  side  of 
the  river,  to  where  the  Mohawk  empties  into 
the  Hudson.  But  the  French  and  Canadian 
Indians  were  constantly  skirmishing,  and  their 


AROUND    THE   CAMP  FIRE,  91 

scalps  were  in  danger  of  being  taken.  "While 
they  are  brooding  over  their  disappointment,  we 
must  leave  them  for  a  while,  to  pass  on  to  the 
scene  where  our  story  has  the  most  interest — 

FORT  HILL. 

It  was  just  one  of  those  lovely  moonlight 
nights  during  the  Indian  summer,  when  the 
Indians,  while  at  peace,  assemble,  with  other 
neighbouring  tribes,  to  play  their  annual  game  of 
ball,  just  before  the  corn  harvest,  that  along  the 
shores  of  the  beautiful  Owasco  Lake,  before  ever 
John  Hardenberg  or  William  Bostwick  had 
made  the  first  white  settlement  in  the  creek 
which  flowed  out,  and  on  which  the  former 
erected  his  log  hut  and  built  a  mill,  a  party 
came  up  to  the  fort,  where  Logan  s  monument 
now  is. 

Of  these,  one  was  a  fine-looking  young  man, 
with  rather  a  feminine  cast  of  countenance,  but 
still  quite  strongly  built.  His  attire  was  a  red 
coat  with  navy  gilt  buttons,  trousers  of  buck- 
skin, and  he  wore  the  top-boots  such  as  the 
Cavaliers  had  brought  to  Virginia  from  Old  Eng- 
land. For  some  reason  he  moved  apart  from  his 
companions,    and    anxiously    gazed    around    in 


92  BOBBER   TALES 

search  of  something  not  known  to  the  others. 
Another  stood  close  by,  clad  as  a  sailor,  and  a 
coal-black  negro  also,  called  Sambo  Caesar, 
usually  "  Sam "  for  short ;  and  when  he  opened 
his  mouth,  which  he  often  did  with  a  broad  grin, 
he  displayed  a  splendid  set  of  white  teeth  like 
ivory.  Both  were  devoted  to  the  young  officer, 
whom  they  called  "captain."  Another  was  a 
soldier,  carrying  a  large  sword  by  his  side ;  while 
the  most  noticeable  of  all  was  a  lovely  young  girl 
of  nineteen  or  twenty  years,  attired  in  an  old- 
fashioned  dress  suited  to  travelling  through  the 
forest,  and  on  her  head  was  a  fur  cap,  with  a 
single  eagle's  feather  for  a  plume. 

The  guide,  who  had  once  been  a  trapper,  was 
clad  in  a  homespun  suit  of  grey,  and  for  some 
reason  took  especial  care  of  the  young  lady, 
named  Estelle.  Besides  these,  William  Bostwick, 
an  early  emigrant,  came  among  these  adventurers 
in  an  hour  of  danger.  A  fine  English  mastiff, 
with  an  Indian  pony  from  Mexico,  comprised  the 
party. 

"  Oh,"  exclaimed  Allen,  the  leader,  ''  see  what 
a  rampart  we  have  here.  Let  us  halt  awhile, 
for  the  redskins  or  Old  Scratch  himself  couldn't 
reach  us,  so  long  as  our  powder  holds  out." 

Having  taken  up  a  position  in  the  centre  of 


AROUND    THE   CAMP  FIRE,  93 

the  fort,  they  gathered  some  dry  sticks  and  leaves 
with  which  to  cook  their  food. 

Sambo  was  delighted  with  the  situation,  and 
was  quite  amused  at  the  hickory  nuts  falling  on 
his  thick  skull,  as  the  limbs  swayed  to  and  fro 
with  the  breeze  and  sent  them  down,  ripe  and 
sweet,  to  be  cracked  with  his  teeth.  But  soon 
they  heard  the  growls  of  wild  wolves  taking 
alarm  at  the  fire,  and  they  were  not  long  in 
fleeing  away  to  a  safe  abode;  for  a  faggot 
lighted,  especially  if  it  is  pine-knot,  is  a  sure 
protection  from  an  attack  of  any  wild  animal, 
even  the  largest  beasts  of  the  forest.  Spite  of 
the  masters  caution,  Sambo  seized  a  burning 
brand,  and  ran  after  a  large  wolf  down  the  hill- 
side, but  could  not  get  near  enough  to  seize  his 
tail.      "  He  run  like  de  debbil,"  said  the  darkey. 

As  they  gathered  round  the  fire,  the  captain 
deemed  it  only  an  act  of  prudence  to  reconnoitre 
before  retiring  for  the  night. 


94  BOBBER   TALES 


CHAPTEH   11. 

The  party,  having  lighted  their  pitch-pine  knots, 
began  to  make  a  circuit  of  the  hill  on  which  the 
fort  stood,  but  as  yet  only  the  cry  of  the  wolves 
was  heard.  The  old  trapper,  used  to  all  the 
sounds  of  various  animals  in  those  regions,  was 
quite  sure  he  heard  the  cry  of  a  panther  (or 
wild  cat),  one  of  the  most  dangerous  animals  to 
encounter.  It  resembled  a  loud  cry  of  a  cat  in 
distress,  or  that  of  a  child  in  such  a  case.  How- 
ever, they  marched  on  bravely  for  a  while,  all 
contented  but  the  old  seaman,  who  declared 
that,  blast  his  eyes!  he  would  sooner  serve  in 
a  hand-to-hand  fight  on  a  man-of-war,  than 
tackle  a  grizzly  bear  or  overhaul  a  catamount ; 
but  if  they  came  in  his  way,  and  it  was  a  fair 
fight,  he'd  go  into  it. 

"Look  sharp  there,  Allen,"  cried  the  strong 
man  who  carried  the  sword,  and  who  was  called 
Bond;  "if  you  are  not  careful,  one  of  the 
varmints  of  cats  will  pounce  down  on  ye  from 
the  limb  of  a  tree." 

"  Let  me  alone  for  sharp,"  replied  Allen  the 


ABOUND    THE   CAMP  FIRE,  95 

sailor ;  and  he  asked  the  trapper  if  it  was  true 
that  a  bear  can  hug  one  so  tightly  as  to  squeeze 
the  breath  out  of  one's  body — sure  ? 

Scarcely  had  these  words  passed,  when  a  sullen 
growl,  just  above  his  head,  saluted  his  ears,  and 
looking  up,  they  espied  a  huge  black  Bruin, 
weighing  at  least  six  hundred  pounds. 

"  Ah  ! "  said  the  sailor,  "  walk  up  and  introduce 
yourself  ?     Just  look  at  his  big  paw  1 " 

"  He  wants  to  shake  hands  with  some  of  us," 
said  Bond  to  the  old  sailor. 

Allen  shook  his  firebrand  at  him,  and  at  once 
the  bear  ran  up  a  tree,  and  turning  round  on 
a  large  beech  limb,  gave  a  tremendous  growl. 
Allen  was  soon  after  him,  and  grabbing  the 
beast  by  the  tail  to  pull  him  down — a  most 
hazardous  experiment.  At  this  the  bear  began 
to  climb  up  higher.  "  I  say,  old  fellow,  how's 
it  up  aloft  ? "  Allen  held  on  tightly ;  but  not 
wishing  to  get  up  among  the  small  twigs,  where 
the  bear  would  have  the  best  of  it,  he  let  go 
his  hold,  and  dropped  on  his  back.  On  picking 
himself  up,  he  saw  the  rest  had  gone  on,  and 
he  soon  felt  great  pain  in  one  of  his  legs,  for  the 
bear  had  bitten  him  just  before  he  fell. 

On  coming  up  with  the  party.  Bond,  laughing 
at  the   sailor's   attempted   bearback    ride,    said, 


96  BOEDER    TALES 

"  Well,  why  did  you  leave  your  affectionate  friend 
so  suddenly  ? " 

"Well"  replied  the  other,  "we  had  just 
scratched  an  acquaintance  which  might  have  led 
us  to  too  great  an  intimacy,  and  so  we  parted 
company." 

"  I  reckon  massa  nebber  see  a  bear  afore,"  said 
Sam. 

"Why not,  Sam?" 

"  'Cause  he  grab  him  on  his  stern,  behind  the 
fokesail,  instead  of  by  the  how.    Yaw,  yaw  !" 

"  Well,  Sam,"  said  the  hero,  "  I  wasn't  brought 
up  in  the  woods  to  be  scared  by  owls." 
"  Just  you  'splain  yourself,"  said  Sam. 
"Yes,  yes,"  all  said,  "Don't  be  too  hard  on 
Sam.    He's  certainly  no  coward." 

Allen  said  that  Sam  had  been  at  one  time 
"  chief  cook  and  bottle-washer  "  for  an  American 
officer ;  and  while  fighting  among  the  everglades 
of  Florida,  and  while  taking  a  stroll  at  night- 
fall among  the  pine  trees  near  the  camp,  he  pre- 
sently heard  a  call  out  of  the  bushes,  in  these 
words  :  "  Who  cooks  for  you  f  who  cooks  for  you  V 
Taking  off  his  cap  politely,  he  replied,  "  I  cooks 
for  General  Taylor,  sare  ;  nobody  cooks  for  me  ! " 
It  was  only  a  big  white  owl  hooting,  but  Sam 
always  said  he  believed  it  was  a  bogey. 


ABOUND    TEE  CAMP  FIRE,  97 

The  party  had  now  reached  the  top  of  the 
hill,  and  climbing  over  the  rampart  which  had 
been  thrown  up,  leaving  a  deep  trench  sur- 
rounding the  hill  for  half  a  mile  in  circumference, 
they  entered  a  clump  of  trees,  and  soon  began 
to  arrange  for  a  night's  rest.  The  air  had  grown 
cool  and  the  dew  was  falling. 

''  I  am  sure,"  said  the  captain,  "  that  the 
Indians  could  not  have  built  this  fort  without 
the  aid  of  some  white  man;  for  they  always 
fight  dodging  behind  trees,  and  it  is  contrary 
to  my  experience  to  see  any  earthworks  con- 
structed by  the  red  men." 

"No,"  said  Allen;  "the  whites  I  have  met 
never  could  tell  me  anything  about  it.  Their 
only  weapons  are  arrowheads  of  flint  and  toma- 
hawks. These  tomahawks  have  a  hole  in  the 
handle,  with  a  hollow  at  the  back,  about  the  size 
of  a  large  thimble,  in  which  they  put  tobacco, 
and  serve  as  pipes  for  smoking  the  weed  which 
Sir  Walter  Ealeigh  first  introduced  from  America 
to  England." 

"  It  must  be  very  old,"  said  the  captain,  "  and 
it  is  plain  that  various  tribes  have  assembled 
here  to  hold  their  war  councils  and  to  smoke 
the  peace-pipe." 

The  blankets,  spread  on  some  dry  leaves,  m- 

H 


98  BOEDER    TALES 

vited  to  repose.  A  tent  made  of  deerskins 
was  the  bedroom  of  Estelle,  and  a  large  fire,  in 
front  of  which  were  piled  some  pine-knots  and 
hickory  branches,  made  it  quite  comfortable. 

The  others,  with  one  exception,  were  glad  to 
wrap  their  blankets  and  overcoats  around  them, 
and  soon  sunk  into  a  slumber  which  fatigue 
always  makes  sweet  and  sound.  "After  labour 
comes  rest." 

It  was  while  the  moon  was  brightly  shining 
in  the  west,  and  the  stars  keeping  company, 
that  the  captain  had  withdrawn  to  the  edge  of 
the  fort,  and  seemed  only  intent  on  viewing  the 
heavens.  This  awoke  the  rest  of  the  men,  who 
were  easily  aroused  at  anything. 

''  Your  captain,"  said  Bond  to  Allen,  pointing 
to  the  captain,  "  must  be  setting  the  watch  for  the 
night,  or  taking  an  observation  off  the  coast." 

"Reckon  boss  am  looking  out  for  pirates," 
said  Sam ;  "  ain't  he  ? " 

"You  be  quiet,"  said  the  old  sailor,  "or  I'll 
stop  your  grog  in  the  morning." 

That  was  enough  to  shut  up  Sam's  mouth,  for  he 
had  seen  enough  of  sailor's  life  to  value  a  glass 
of  liquor  and  a  plug  of  tobacco  (or  pigtail,  as  he 
called  it),  as  quite  necessary  to  his  happiness. 

Bond  was  puzzled    to  know  what  the  real 


ABOUND    TEE   CAMP  FIRE,  99 

character  of  the  young  naval  captain  could  be, 
and  could  not  shut  his  eyes,  nor  indeed  his 
mouth,  for  that  matter,  till  he  had  put  the 
query  to  Allen :  "  Do  tell  me,  if  you  know,  who 
he  really  is  ? " 

"  Know  him  ?  Why,  I  know  him  '  like  a  book/ 
Knew  him  when  he  was  only  'knee-high  to  a 
hop-toad,'  when  he  began  as  a  cabin-boy." 

"  All  right,  my  hearty ;  but  depend  on  it, 
there's  something  mysterious,  something  in  the 
wind,  by  the  way  he's  watching." 

"  By-the-by,"  said  Allen,  "  don't  you  wish  we 
were  safe  at  home  again  ?  It's  now  nigh  to  six 
years  since  I  have  heard  a  word  from  any  of  our 
folks,  and  we  may  be  catawampously  chawed 
up,  as  they  say  in  Arkansaw,  by  some  of  these 
wild  varmints,  one  of  these  days." 

"  Yes,"  said  Sam.  "  You  had  a  bear  all  ter  yer- 
self  to-night ;  why  didn't  you  cut  off  one  of  his 
hams  for  supper  ? " 

"You  shut  up,  blackamoor,  or  I'll  put  a 
hornet's  nest  in  your  blanket  before  morning." 

But  they  got  tired  of  quizzing  and  joking,  and 
soon  they  were  snoring  loud  enough  to  awaken 
any  wild  birds  that  might  be  roosting  in  the 
branches  of  the  trees  that  overshadowed  them. 

This  scene  lay  within  about  two  miles  of  the 


100  BORDER    TALES 

Owasco  Lake,  a  lovely  sheet  of  water,  thus 
described  by  one  of  our  native  poets  (who  has 
written  of  "  Ensenore/'  a  waterfall  emptying  into 
the  lake  about  ten  miles  above  the  outlet) : — 

"  One  of 
The  seven  fair  lakes  that  lie 
Like  mirrors  *neath  the  sky, 
Upon  the  shore  of  that  fair  lake. 
Whose  waters  are  the  clearest,  brightest ; 
Whose  silver  surges  ever  break 
Upon  her  pebbled  margin  lightest ; 
Where  dips  the  lark  her  sportive  wings, 
And  where  the  robin-redbreast  sings, 
And  where  in  many  a  shaded  dell 
The  viewless  echoes  love  to  dwell." 

The  stillness  of  the  forest  was  just  suited  to 
the  captain,  for  he  it  was  who  listened  to  the 
gurgling  creek,  which  formed  an  outlet  from  the 
lake,  as  he  paced  back  and  forth,  looking  out  for 
some  definite  object. 

"Yes,"  said  he  to  himself,  ''the  spot  where 
Estelle  s  father  was  buried  is  here,  or  I  am 
deceived.     I  am  sure  it  must  be  near  this  spot." 

A  deep  gorge  in  some  rocks,  near  a  huge  chest- 
nut tree,  was  one  of  the  signs  to  find  out  the 
exact  spot,  and  just  as  he  neared  it  the  moon 
went  down  and  the  stars  grew  dim,  and  nothing 
was  bright  enough  to  conduct  him  any  further 


AROUND    THE  CAMP  FIBE,        '    101 

in  his  search.     Pressing  his  repeater  watch,  he 
found  it  was  past  the  midnight  hour. 

Turning  his  face  towards  the  flickering  pine- 
knots  of  the  camp  fire,  he  retraced  his  steps ;  and 
throwing  some  fresh  limbs  on  the  fire,  he  turned 
down  his  blanket  to  rest,  just  as  Sambo,  woke  out 
of  a  sound  sleep,  started  up  to  see  who  had  come 
and  was  about  to  seize  a  gun .  and  ward  off 
danger,  but,  being  reassured,  turned  his  woolly 
head  to  the  fire,  and  soon  fell  fast  asleep  again, 
dreaming  of  old  life  among  his  companions  on  the 
plantation. 


CHAPTER  III. 

The  fort  never  contained  more  precious  lives 
in  the  world,  than  those  few  who  were  resting  in 
peace  and  quietness  that  night,  perhaps  dreaming 
of  home  and  friends,  all  fast  asleep  save  the 
young  captain,  who  could  not  lose  consciousness 
with  the  thoughts  that  came  crowding  in  upon 
his  brain. 

"And,  by  the  way," said  the  lieutenant,  stopping 
in  his  narrative,  "  did  you  ever  think  of  it,  that 


102  BORDER    TALES 

there  are  human  beings  knit  together  in  body  and 
soul,  which  time  nor  eternity  can  ever  sever  ? 

"  We  call  it  fate,  that  persons  are  thrown  to- 
gether, whose  interests  soon  become  identical, 
and  yet  we  cannot  tell  the  reason  why. 

"  For  instance,  why  is  this  ?  A  stranger  comes 
into  your  presence,  and  at  once  you  feel  an 
antipathy  towards  him,  or  you  feel  yourself  in- 
voluntarily drawn  towards  him.  There's  a  destiny, 
call  it  what  we  will,  that  draws  one  soul  to  an- 
other in  spite  of  ourselves,  either  for  weal  or  woe, 
and  over  which  we  can  exercise  little  control  as 
to  our  own  wills.  Those  who  were  slumbering  in 
perfect  security  on  Fort  Hill  were  totally  unlike 
in  many  things,  yet  there  was  a  something  which 
bound  them  together.  There  seemed  no  common 
bond  or  interest  which  united  them,  and  particu- 
larly the  navy  officer,  the  old  sailor,  and  Sambo ; 
and  the  two  subordinates  always  yielded  them- 
selves in  implicit  confidence  and  obedience  to 
their  superior." 

The  young  officer,  somehow,  hung  his  head, 
being  quite  disheartened,  perhaps  because  he  had 
not  found  the  place  where  Estelle's  father  had  been 
buried,  or  because  of  the  lonely  forest  surround- 
ing him,  as  he  heard  the  wolfs  bark,  and  the 
screech-owl  crying  out ''  Too-hoo!  too-hooT     The 


ABOUND    TEE   CAMP  FIRE,  103 

night  air  was  cool  and  chilly,  and  he  sat  with  his 
head  leaning  on  his  knees,  thinking  what  next 
he  should  do. 

The  black  man,  Sam,  woke  up  and  diverted  his 
attention.  "  Ah,  massa  captain,  you  lie  down  and 
have  a  good  sleep;  me  stay  up  and  watch  all 
danger." 

"  No,  Sam,  you  lie  down.  I  am  all  right.  No 
danger  at  all ;  lie  down  and  sleep  till  morning." 

"Massa,  you  ain't  agwine  to.  Dis  child — I'll 
watch  ;  you  sleep  till  day  breaks." 

"  Well,  Sam,  I'll   do  as   you   say."     He   then 
threw  himself  down  beside  the  others,  and,  like 
an  infant,  slept  away  the  remaining  hours. 
*  *  *  *  * 

The  next  morning  they  were  early  on  the  alert, 
and  after  their  usual  morning  repast,  each  one  set 
to  work  to  construct  a  log  hut,  to  protect  them 
from  a  rainy  spell,  which  usually  set  in  about 
the  22nd  of  September,  and  was  called  the  equi- 
noctial storm ;  and  this  would  also  serve  as  a  pro- 
tection from  wild  beasts  or  a  surprise  by  the 
wily  Indians.  They  had  not  travelled  all  the 
way  through  an  almost  trackless  desert,  through 
swamps,  over  morasses,  and  through  huge  forests, 
from  the  Mohawk  river  to  the  Owasco,  without 
learning  the  dangers  which  beset  travellers  from 


104  BOBDEB    TALES 

the  Atlantic  Coast.  Wild  savages,  which  beset 
and  dog  travellers,  when  once  upon  their  trail, 
might  give  them  a  sudden  surprise ;  the  prowling 
wolf,  wild  cats,  and  beasts  of  huge  size,  black 
as  ebony;  and,  added  to  their  fears,  violent 
thunder-storms,  succeeded  by  a  downpour  of  rain, 
were  always  to  be  looked  for,  and  to  come  when 
least  expected. 

In  surveying  the  surroundings  a  black  mass 
of  leaves  was  discovered  up  in  the  crotch  of 
a  cypress  tree,  and  Sambo,  who  could  climb  a 
mast,  soon  found  it  contained  an  eagle's  nest,  with 
half  a  dozen  young  ones  in  it.  Mistaking  the 
darkey  for  the  mother  bird,  which  had  flown 
away  to  the  outlet  to  catch  a  fish  for  their 
morning  repast,  they  opened  wide  their  mouths 
for  food ;  but  on  Sam's  clutching  at  one,  they  all 
scrambled  out  of  their  nest  and  took  refuge  in 
one  of  the  branches. 

Sam  grabbed  again,  and  was  lucky  to  get 
hold  of  a  leg  of  the  nearest  bird,  but  losing  his 
balance,  tumbled  with  it  to  the  ground.  As  he 
fell  upon  a  soft  heap  of  leaves,  he  was  not  much 
hurt,  but  sprang  to  his  feet  and  gave  chase  after 
the  bird,  which  tried  to  escape.  Soon  all  parties 
were  drawn  to  the  spot,  and  they  were  not  long 
in  espying  the  male  bird,  a  bold  eagle,  soaring 


I 


AROUND    THE   CAMP  FIRE.  105 

round  ready  to  pounce  on  the  nest-robbers.  The 
moment  Sam  had  again  seized  his  prey,  the  old 
one,  with  tremendous  velocity,  and  claws  ex- 
tended, aimed  at  the  woolly  head  of  the  negro. 

"  You  varmint,  you,  keep  off!  Debbil  take  you, 
let  me  alone  T'  and  giving  the  young  one  a  toss 
upward,  the  old  bird  seized  it  and  flew  with  it 
back  to  the  nest,  leaving  Sam's  ivool  untouched, 
much  to  his  delight.  For  had  he  once  got  his 
sharp  claws  in  his  woolly  head,  Sam  might  have 
had  his  eyes  dug  out. 

The  party  also  set  up  a  loud  shout  to  scare 
the  old  one,  but  not  having  a  gun  at  hand 
could  not  do  the  bird  any  harm.  These  birds 
are  as  desperate  over  the  loss  of  their  young  as 
the  bears  when  bereaved  of  their  whelps  ;  and  as 
the  flesh  of  the  eagle  is  not  desirable  for  food, 
it  is  mere  wanton  cruelty  to  capture  and  kill 
them. 

Sam,  in  his  delight,  said  he  could  have 
killed  or  captured  both  at  once — "  only  massa,  do 
ye  see,  he  berry  proud  of  de  eagle,  'cause  he  is  the 
national  bird  o'  freedom,  and  Gineral  Washing- 
ton he  always  fight  de  Britishers  under  de  wings 
ob  his  feathers  ! " 

"Well,"  said  the  sailor,  "guess  you're  right. 
Sambo,  and  I'd  sooner  have  my  grog  stopped. 


106  BOBBER   TALES 

and  live  on  a  single  hard-tack  biscuit  a  day, 
than  ruffle  a  quill  of  his  wings  or  tail.  Besides, 
Sam,  the  captain  has  been  looking  and  watching 
the  old  bald-head  ever  so  long.  See,  he's  going 
to  climb  himself  up  to  the  nest." 

Such,  indeed,  was  the  case.  The  old  bird  had 
flown  suddenly  away,  after  assisting  his  burden ; 
and  if  birds  can  talk  to  each  other,  as  some 
naturalists  suppose,  maybe  he'd  gone  to  tell  the 
mother  to  leave  oiF  fishing,  and  come  home  to 
watch  over  her  brood  in  danger. 

A  DISCOVERY. 

However,  no  sooner  did  the  captain  see  the 
way  was  clear  of  danger,  than  he  sprang  from 
limb  to  limb  till  he  reached  the  nest. 

Both  Allen  and  Sam  were  eagerly  watching 
his  movements,  when  they  espied  him  catch  at 
something  above  the  nest,  and  as  there  were  no 
eggs  in  it,  they  were  astonished  to  see  him  grasp 
a  handful  of  some  dark  substance  and  thrust  it 
into  his  bosom. 

''  I  shouldn't  wonder,"  said  Sam,  "  if  he  hasn't 
found  the — the  treasure,  should  you  ?  " 

"  Heaven  grant  it  may  be  so,"  said  Allen. 

But  the  captain,  losing  his  hold  upon  a  limb — 


AROUND    THE   CAMP  FIRE,  107 

probably  excited — soon  interrupted  the  confab 
by  tumbling  down  to  the  spot  whereon  Sambo 
had  previously  fallen.  Both  scrambled  to  assist 
the  captain;  but  Sam,  tumbling  headlong  over 
a  log,  fell  prone  to  the  earth  himself,  and, 
striking  a  sharp  substance  with  his  hand,  blood 
flowed  from  one  of  his  fingers.  On  clearing 
away  the  leaves,  he  discovered  a  regular  Indian 
tomahawk.  The  cut  was  not  very  deep ;  and  on 
his  master  s  coming  up,  Sam  showed  his  trophy 
and  his  bleeding  hand,  and  said  he  must  have 
been  struck  by  a  dead  Indian.  Some  plaster 
was  applied  to  his  wound,  and  he  hobbled 
back  with  his  master,  to  resume  work  on  the 
log  cabin. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

THE   KOMANCE   OF   FORT   HILL. 

Our  party  having  travelled  all  the  way  from  the 
Hudson  river,  along  the  Mohawk,  to  the  outlet 
of  the  Owasco  without  much  danger,  were  not 
undiscovered  by  the  wily  savages  from  the 
Onondaga  Hills.     Luckily  for  them,  they  had. 


108  BOBBER   TALES 

in  a  week's  time,  constructed  a  good-sized  log 
cabin,  in  which  they  were  safe  from  the  pelting 
rain;  and  should  they  be  compelled  to  winter 
there,  in  search  of  a  curious  and  important  ob- 
ject, dear  as  life,  they  would  be  in  no  danger  of 
perishing  of  cold,  nor  frozen  to  death  in  the 
heavy  banks  of  snow  which  covered  all  the  hills 
and  the  valleys  beneath.  Besides,  it  served  as  a 
secure  fort  in  case  of  danger — an  attack  by  foes 
— for  the  old  fort  was  but  a  kind  of  breastwork 
thrown  up  by  digging  a  trench  all  round  the 
crest  of  the  hill.  Here  they  had  arranged  things 
quite  comfortably,  spending  their  days  each  as 
they  pleased. 

The  captain  kept  apart,  pursuing  his  search 
from  morning  till  night,  after  he  had  found  the 
clue  over  the  eagle's  nest,  but  kept  his  secret  all 
to  himself  Sambo  and  Allen  went  out  foraging 
for  game,  such  as  wild  pigeons,  raccoons,  opos- 
sums, black  and  grey  squirrels,  wild  geese,  and 
turkeys;  or  they  would  fish  in  the  outlet,  in 
which  trout,  perch,  and  bull-heads  in  great 
quantities  were  found,  without  going  as  far  as 
the  lake  from  which  the  fish  came. 

The  powder  and  shot  was  running  short,  and 
as  supplies  were  only  to  be  obtained  at  Fort 
Stanwix,  many  miles  to  the  east,  on  the  Mohawk, 


AROUND    TEE   GAMP  FIRE.  109 

the  captain  bade  them  not  to  waste  their  powder 
and  lead  on  animals  not  needed  for  food  on  the 
table.  Not  that  they  had  a  table, — only  a  couple 
of  chest-lids  which  stood  in  place  of  one,  and  a 
sail-cloth  was  used  for  a  table-cloth.  This  was 
not  so  bad  a  shift  as  the  poor  sometimes  resort  to, 
according  to  Doctor  Johnson,  who  wrote — 

"  The  sheets  contrived  a  double  debt  to  pay — 
To  serve  the  bed  by  night,  a  tablecloth  by  day." 

The  caution  to  be  saving  of  ball  and  powder 
was  a  timely  one,  for  at  nightfall,  as  Sam  was 
coming  along,  sauntering  near  a  marsh  in  search 
of  wild-goose  eggs,  mud  turtles,  etc.,  he  heard  the 
cry  of  a  child,  as  it  sounded  to  his  ears.  Follow- 
ing through  the  ilags  and  jumping  from  one  bog 
to  another,  scaring  owls  and  kicking  mud  turtles 
out  of  the  way  in  the  tamarack  swamp,  when  he 
heard  this  cry  of  a  child  in  such  a  strange  place, 
as  if  the  child  was  in  great  distress,  he  soon 
came  to  a  dead  halt.  But  he  got  his  eyes 
opened ;  for  right  over  his  head  was  a  wild  cat, 
or  panther,  several  feet  long,  lying  on  its  belly 
along  a  large  limb  of  a  tree,  ready  to  spring  on 
its  prey!  Sam  had  never  seen  one  before,  but 
he  had  heard  enough  of  its  fearful  power  to 
frighten  him  almost  out  of  his  wits.     Turning 


110  BOEDER    TALES 

deadly  pale,  he  started  back  and  ran  for  dear  life 
to  the  cabin,  scarcely  taking  breath  till  he  got 
within  the  door,  when  he  immediately  fell 
down  from  fright  and  exhaustion.  All  flocked 
around  the  poor  darkey  and  begged  to  know 
what  was  the  matter. 

As  soon  as  the  poor  fellow  could  gather  speech, 
his  eyes  almost  out  of  his  head,  he  exclaimed, 
"  Bear !  bear,  massa ! " 

Of  course,  after  a  while  he  recovered  his 
senses,  and  related  how  he  had  nearly  sacrificed 
his  life  in  a  benevolent  desire  to  succour  a  child 
in  distress. 

Walker  could  not  resist  the  opportunity  of 
having  a  little  fun  out  of  the  darkey,  since  all 
danger  was  now  over.  So  he  asked  Sam  if  he 
didn't  see  a  polecat,  instead  of  a  wild  cat. 

"  Polecat  ?  Not  much.  You  bet  your  life  dat 
cat  eat  you  all  up,  sure  as  you  live,  if  get  hold  of 
your  skin/' 

"  Yes,  Sam ;  but  you  said  it  was  a  bear  when 
you  got  safe  home.  Seems  to  me  you  lacked 
courage  on  that  occasion  ? " 

"  Courage !  I'se  as  bold  as  a  lion,  when  I  sees 
the  varmint  on  the  same  footing  as  myself  If  I 
had  one  of  de  old  continental  muskets,  such  as 
we  had  at  de  battle  ob  Yorktown,  I'd  gin  him 


ABOUND    THE   CAMP  FIRE.  Ill 

fits !  You  tink,  'cause  I'se  whipped  by  an 
animal,  I'se  a  coward  ? " 

"Looks  like  it,"  said  Walker.  "But  what  do  you 
know  about  Yorktown,  where  General  Washing- 
ton won  the  day  over  General  Comwallis  ?  " 

"  Comwallis  ?  I  guess  I  knows  a  heap.  He 
was  General  Comwallis,  in  course,  but  he  ain't 
now." 

"  Why  not,  Sam  ?  " 

"Well,  d'ye  see,  General  Washington  he 
smart  old  man,  and  he  licked  Comwallis  on  dat 
occasion,  and  so  now  we  call  him  Cobwallis, — 
he,  he!" 

''  What  for  ? " 

"  'Cause  General  Washington  shell  all  de  corn 
off  him  too  slick.     Ha,  ha  !  ho,  ho  !  he,  he  ! " 

The  other  said,  "  We  needn't  boast  too  much. 
The  Britishers  made  us  run  a  good  many  times, 
and  you  must  remember  our  fathers  were  English- 
men, descendants  of  a  bold  race  who,  with  us,  can 
conquer  the  world  ! " 

"Dat  am  a  fact,  massa,  but  black  folks  must 
help  'um." 

"  WeU,"  said  Walker,  ''  aU  bad  feeling  between 
us  and  the  British  is  now  laid  aside,  and  we  see 
how  foolish  it  was  in  England  not  to  have 
avoided  a  quarrel  which  never  should  have 
been  begun." 


112  BORDER    TALES 

Next  morning,  Walker,  who  had  been  early  in 
the  forest,  assembled  all  hands  to  hear  what  the 
captain  had  to  say,  as  they  two  were  about  to  go 
on  an  excursion  to  find  out  something  of  import- 
ance, and  they  had  to  give  orders  for  protect- 
ing the  young  lady,  Estelle,  while  they  were 
absent. 

The  captain  called  Allen  aside  from  the  others, 
and  took  from  his  pocket-book  a  relic  which  he 
had  found  up  in  the  tree,  much  to  the  delight  of 
the  other,  who  exclaimed — 

"  My  eyes,  are  you  not  lucky  ? " 

Had  the  captain  found  a  gold  or  silver  mine 
instead,  it  could  not  have  caused  so  much  joy  as 
this.  For  were  they  not  out  on  a  search  which 
might  cost  them  all  their  lives,  in  order  to  find 

out  where,  dead  or  alive,  was  the Well,  we 

must  not  spoil  our  story  of  love  and  fortune 
just  now,  by  revealing  what  they  came  for.  It 
is  enough  to  say  that  it  was  long  before  Walker, 
with  the  captain  and  Sambo,  left  the  fort, 
branching  off  through  the  beech-woods  north 
towards  the  Lake  Ontario. 

"  A  safe  and  pleasant  journey  for  all  of  you," 
said  Allen ;  "  and  mind  you  don't  stray  into  any 
more  swamps  after  mudlarks  again,  Sam,  but 
march  behind  the  others  in  regular  Indian  file." 


AROUND    THE   CAMP  FIRE.  113 

"  Nebber  you  care  for  dis  darkey,  I'm  as  bold 
as  a  lion,  and  so  we'll  have  a  song  before  we  go. 

*  De  Lord  He  Inb  good  nigger  well  j 
He  know  de  nigger  by  de  smell ; 
And  when  de  little  nigger  cry, 
De  Lord  He  gib  him  'possnm-pie.' " 

After  a  hearty  laugh,  Allen  sat  down  on  a  log 
before  the  cabin  door  as  soon  as  the  party  were 
out  of  sight,  and  soon  appeared  lost  in  thought ; 
while  Bond  sat  within  the  cabin  singing  an 
old  revolutionary  song,  called  "The  Hunters  of 
Kentucky."  One  verse  will  show  the  nature 
of  the  refrain — 

"  Ye  gentlemen  and  ladies  fair,  who  grace  this  famous  city, 
Jnst  listen,  if  yon've  time  to  spare,  while  I  rehearse  a  ditty, 
And  for  the  opportunity  conceive  yourselves  quite  lucky. 
For  'tis  not  often  that  you  see — a  hunter  from  Kentucky ! 
Oh,  Kentucky  !  the  hunters  of  Kentucky  !  '* 

Estelle  spoke  up  and  said,  "We  three  are  all 
there  are  to  protect  this  fort,  I  suppose,  while 
the  rest  are  away  ?  I  pray  our  Heavenly  Father 
that  He  will  guard  us  from  all  danger,  for  it 
would  be  dreadful  to  be  set  upon  by  savage 
Indians,  and  slaughtered  to  death  in  this  wilder- 
ness !  Some  one  told  me  that  the  Cayuga  tribe 
had  made  a  treaty  with  the  Jesuit  missionaries, 
some  time  since,  on  the  shores  of  the  Cayuga 

I 


114  BORDER    TALES 

Lake,  eight  miles  from  this,  and  that  we  had 
nothing  to  fear  from  them." 

"  That  I  can't  say,"  replied  Bond  ;  "  but  of  one 
thing  be  sure — if  we  are  set  upon  by  Indians, 
Allen  and  I  will  fire  the  guns,  and  you  can  act  as 
*  powder-monkey,'  as  they  say  on  ship-board,  and 
hand  us  the  ammunition.  Well  die  in  defence 
of  you,  and  so  you  needn't  lay  awake  nights,  or 
dream  of  danger." 

"  Yes,  miss,"  interrupted  the  other,  "  we'll  die 
for  you,  fighting  on  our  part,  if  needful ;  and  we 
are  a  whole  team  with  our  Kentucky  rifles." 

"  I  am  not  afraid  of  your  lack  of  courage ;  but 
what  if  a  hundred  bloodthirsty  savages  attack 
us  at  once  ?  How  could  we  offer  any  resistance, 
or  hold  out  for  any  length  of  time  ? " 

"  What  would  we  do  ?  Why,  we'd  pop  'em 
over  like  ninepins;  besides,  they  seldom  attack 
the  whites  in  a  log  cabin,  as  they  have  to  fight 
a  concealed  foe,  and  can't  imagine  what  may  be 
their  numbers." 

"True,  they  fight  their  enemies  in  the  open 
woods,  where  they  can  dodge  behind  the  trees 
to  avoid  being  shot,  and  the  moment  a  gun  is 
fired  at  them,  they  jump  out  and  tomahawk 
their  enemy,  if  within  reach.  Did  you  ever  en- 
counter one  in  battle  ? "  said  Estelle. 


AROUND    THE   CAMP  FIRE,  115 

"  No,"  replied  Bond  ;  "but  I  have  met  a  soldier 
who  told  me  how  he  outwitted  a  savage  chief 
in  the  Florida  war,  and  killed  him.  He  said  he 
had  fired  away  at  the  Indian  from  behind  a  tree 
for  some  time,  and  the  Indian  cracked  away  at 
him.  By-and-by,  he  put  his  cap  on  the  end 
of  his  ramrod  and  stuck  it  out,  as  though  he  was 
peeping  at  the  Indian.  The  savage  took  aim 
and  shot  through  the  cap,  which  dropped,  but 
not  the  soldier.  Supposing  his  enemy  had  fallen, 
the  chief  rushed  out  to  tomahawk  him ;  but  he 
had  made  a  mistake,  and  when  he  drew  near, 
the  soldier  took  aim  and  shot  him  dead.  He 
was  highly  commended  by  his  captain  for  his 
strategy." 

The  day  passed  off  in  stillness  and  quiet,  save 
by  the  noise  of  the  screaming  ravens  and  the 
barking  of  the  foxes ;  and  after  the  sun  went 
down,  the  whip-poor-will's  shrill  cry  made  it 
seem  more  lonely  to  Estelle,  who  wondered  at 
the  singular  kinds  of  animal  life  that  were  found 
in  the  forest,  of  which  at  home  she  had  never 
heard  before.  She  wondered,  too,  at  the  mystery 
surrounding  the  captain's  movements,  and  his 
search  after  some  tokens  he  did  not  explain  to 
her.  As  the  evening  shadows  thickened,  the 
owls   began  to   screech   and   hoot,  and   Estelle, 


116  BOEDER   TALES 

tired  and  bewildered,  threw  herself  down  upon 
her  rude  bed,  and  drew  a  deerskin  over  her 
shoulders,  to  get  some  rest.  The  bold  men,  after 
smoking  their  pipes,  agreed  to  watch  by  turns 
till  daylight. 

%  Estelle  tried  in  vain  to  sleep,  but  images  of 
wild  beasts  or  savage  Indians  would  haunt  her, 
as  she  fell  into  a  doze  now  and  then.  She  was 
sure  she  heard  bowlings  of  wolves  close  by,  and 
though  safe  from  their  attacks,  she  could  not 
sleep  for  the  terror  created  in  her  mind.  How- 
ever, daylight  broke  in  at  the  window,  and  the 
distant  rumbling  of  the  Owasco  river  led  her  to 
go  out  and  look  upon  nature's  peaceful  scenery, 
and  try  to  divert  her  mind  from  any  danger. 
She  soon  saw  Allen  and  Bond  were  on  a  rise 
of  ground  near  by,  engaged  in  skinning  some 
squirrels  for  breakfast. 

Passing  by  them,  she  ran  down  the  hill,  chasing 
the  little  chipmucks  that  crossed  her  path,  until 
she  had  wandered  quite  a  distance  from  the  log 
cabin  on  the  hill. 


AROUND    THE   CAMP  FIRE,  117 


CHAPTER  V. 

WHAT  ESTELLE  FOUND  BY  EXPERIENCE  AND 
NOT  BY  READING. 

We  left  the  young  lady  heroine  of  our  story  on 
Fort  Hill,  going  from  the  cabin  towards  the 
Owaseo  river.  She  had  plenty  of  time  to  meditate, 
and  so  she  thought  nothing  was  more  likely  to 
inspire  awe  and  dread  in  one's  mind,  than  to  find 
one's  self  all  alone  in  a  dense  forest. 

To  be  east  out  in  an  open  boat  at  sea,  with 
nothing  to  fix  the  eye  upon  but  a  vast  expanse 
blue  above  and  blue  or  green  below,  is  awe- 
inspiring  indeed,  and  one  can  thus  imagine  some- 
what of  Estelle's  feelings  when  we  left  her  that 
morning  rambling  down  the  sides  of  Fort  Hill. 
The  men  who  cut  down  the  large  trees  with 
which  to  build  a  cabin  could  tell  how  old  the 
trees  were,  by  counting  the  rings  which  circle 
round  on  the  top  of  the  stumps.  For  each  year 
of  its  growth,  a  ring  is  added  to  its  age.  Thus, 
they  counted  on  a  huge  chestnut  fifty  rings,  show- 
ing it  was  fifty  years  since  it  was  a  little  sapling  ; 


118  BORDER    TALES 

and  they  wondered  if  so  great  a  change  would 
take  place  in  that  romantic  and  beautiful  forest, 
when  emigration  from  the  Old  World  should  come 
hither  and  clear  the  forest  to  make  peaceful 
homes  for  millions  of  our  race  ? 

Suddenly  Estelle  came  to  a  steep  bank  of  the 
Owasco  creek,  and  could  go  no  further.  Here, 
plucking  some  ripe  mandrakes  to  regale  her 
appetite,  and  sitting  down  upon  a  rock,  she 
mused  of  home  and  friends  far  away  on  the  banks 
of  the  Hudson.  She  wept  unconsciously  at  the 
thought  of  her  isolation  from  loved  ones,  and  the 
probable  prospect  that  she  might  never  see  them 
again. 

The  thought  of  the  village  church  and  the 
Sunday  worship  there,  as  on  each  Lord's  day  she 
had  gone  to  the  House  of  God  to  worship  with 
loved  ones,  was  naturally  tender,  and  full  of 
regret  that  all  these  were  lost  to  her.  And 
though  she  had  brought  her  Prayer-book  with 
her,  and  perused  it  daily  (as  well  on  Sundays), 
still  it  was  a  privation ;  and  she  wished,  if  it 
were  possible,  she  might  be  transported,  if  only  for 
a  short  time,  to  wander  in  the  village  churchyard, 
and  read  once  more  the  tombstones  which  told 
of  the  departure  in  peace  of  so  many  Christians 
sleeping  peacefully  side  by  side — fathers,  mothers, 


AROUND    THE   CAMP  FIBE.  119 

sisters,  and  brothers ;  and  most  touehingly  a  plot 
she  remembered,  all  by  itself,  of  little  children 
(called  God's  acre),  in  which  the  forms  of  little 
rosebuds  had  been  broken  off  from  the  parent 
stock  to  sleep  till  the  resurrection  morn. 

She  had  a  pious  custom,  on  each  Sunday  morn- 
ing, of  shutting  her  eyes  and  reciting  from  memory 
portions  of  the  service,  thus  in  imagination  being 
carried  back  to  scenes  of  early  childhood,  and 
joining  in  spirit  with  those  who  were  still 
worshiping  in  the  old  stone  church,  in  chant 
and  song  and  praise. 

She  believed  in  the  Apostles'  Creed,  and 
"  the  communion  of  saints  "  was  a  token  to  her 
that  we  are  united  with  all  Christians,  living 
or  dead. 

Estelle  had  thus  been  contemplating  the  rush- 
ing waters,  that  foamed  as  they  rushed  over  large 
rocks,  and  eddied  round  and  round,  with  drift- 
wood floating  by^ — emblem  of  our  lives  often ! — 
not  knowing  where  it  would  stop,  whether  by 
the  river's  side,  or  on  and  on  to  the  ocean,  which, 
like  eternity,  swallows  up  all  that  comes  into  its 
bosom. 

"  Oh,  if  they  only  meet  with  success  in  their 
enterprise,  how  glad  I  shall  be  1  and  I  can  wait 
in  patience  for  their  return." 


120  BORDER    TALES 

Estelle's  situation,  out  of  sight  of  the  cabin  and 
her  two  protectors,  was  a  dangerous  one ;  at  the 
same  time,  we  must  confess  it  was  very  romantic. 
The  perils  of  the  forest  have  often  been  depicted 
by  our  best  American  writers,  and  painted  by  our 
artists,  some  of  whose  sketches  adorn  the  Capitol 
at  Washington.  One,  with  the  title  "  Westward 
the  Star  of  Empire  takes  its  Way,"  shows  bands 
of  emigrants  toiling  over  the  mountains,  with 
children  in  waggons  and  men  on  horseback ;  and 
there  one  sees  how  they  took  as  much  of  the 
household  stuff  as  they  could  carry.  "  The  Noon 
Meal "  shows  how  a  large  party  have  halted  beside 
some  cooling  stream,  and  all  surround  the  frugal 
meal  in  a  circle,  sitting  on  the  grass ;  and  one 
cannot  help  asking,  what  will  be  their  fortune  in 
a  new  home  in  the  wilderness  of  the  Far  West  ? 
Then  there  is  the  "  Baptism  of  Pocahontas,"  in 
a  panel  of  the  Rotunda,  which  represents  the 
young  Indian  maiden  who  saved  the  life  of  Cap- 
tain John  Smith  at  the  Indian  slaughter  near 
Jamestown,  Virginia.  Pocahontas,  at  the  time 
Smith  was  lying  on  the  ground  to  be  executed, 
threw  herself  upon  him,  and  begged  his  life  at  the 
hands  of  her  father ;  and  it  was  granted. 

It  was  while  Estelle  was  absent  that  a  party, 
consisting  of  a  middle-aged  man  and  his  wife  and 


AROUND    THE   CAMP  FIRE.  121 

children,  a  boy  and  two  girls,  happened  to  be 
journeying  from  the  Mohawk  to  the  Owasco, 
and  coming  suddenly  upon  the  cabin  on  the  hill, 
were  rejoiced  to  find  a  shelter  for  the  night 
among  their  white  brethren ;  and  they  were  made 
heartily  welcome. 

As  they  were  only  sojourners  for  a  night  or  so, 
we  need  not  speak  of  them  at  great  length ;  but, 
though  not  connected  with  the  characters  who 
have  figured  in  our  story,  they  do  deserve  men- 
tion, because  the  man  became,  many  years  after, 
the  possessor  of  Fort  Hill  in  connection  with  his 
farm,  which  lay  close  by  it.  This  couple  had,  at 
an  early  day,  left  their  paternal  home  in  Massa- 
chusetts and  Connecticut,  and  sought  for  a  new 
one,  in  which  they  could  rear  their  children  and 
become  possessors  of  the  soil,  which  the  Govern- 
ment allowed  all  citizens  to  take  up  and  pay  for 
in  warrants  issued  to  pay  off  the  soldiers  in  the 
revolutionary  war,  in  place  of  hard  money,  which 
in  its  poverty  Government  lacked.  The  Govern- 
ment issued  a  currency  of  paper  bills,  called  con- 
tinental money,  and  by  some  nicknamed  "shin 
plasters." 

Mr.  Bostwick  had  early  married  a  Connecticut 
lady  named  Hannah  Warner ;  and  being  master 
of  a  trade — carpenter  and  cabinet-maker — he  was 


122  BOBDER    TALES 

able  to  construct  a  log  house  for  himself,  at  a  sub- 
sequent period,  very  near  Fort  Hill,  and  in  which 
he  opened  a  tavern  to  accommodate  both  "  man 
and  beast." 

Although  Estelle  had  not  wandered  far  from 
the  cabin,  she  was  nearly  exposed  to  a  sudden 
surprise,  and  thus  in  danger.  For,  on  looking 
across  the  stream,  she  saw  a  lot  of  Indians,  who 
set  up  a  yell  which  rang  through  the  forest  of 
evergreens,  echoing  far  away  over  the  hills. 
The  Indians  were  evidently  going  to  ford  the 
stream.  Quick  as  thought,  she  dropped  behind 
the  rock  on  which  she  was  sitting,  and  began 
to  crawl  quietly  towards  some  thick  bushes 
of  hemlock,  and  thence  she  ran  as  fast  as  she 
could  to  warn  Allen  and  Bond  of  the  approach- 
ing danger. 

Both  were  greatly  surprised  at  this  sudden 
information ;  and  they  at  once  prepared  to  give 
the  savages  a  warm  reception.  The  rifles  were 
loaded  and  primed ;  the  flints  carefully  examined, 
and  found  to  be  all  right.  To  make  sure  that 
nothing  should  be  left  undone,  Estelle  was 
directed  to  keep  plenty  of  brush  on  the  fire,  and 
the  big  kettle  of  hot  water  ready  to  scald  the 
head  of  the  first  Indian  who  put  his  head  in  the 
hole  used  for  a  window. 


ABOUND    THE   CAMP  FIRE.  123 

It  was  not  long  they  had  to  wait  in  suspense 
after  Estelle  had  arrived,  for  loud  yells  re- 
sounded again,  and  told  of  danger  close  at  hand. 

"  Don't  be  afraid/'  said  Allen ;  "  we'll  sell  our 
lives  dearly  for  you ;  and  though  they  may  out- 
number us,  we  are  a  match  for  fifty  of  the  red- 
skins in  our  little  castle." 

Sinking  down  upon  a  chest,  Estelle,  the  fair 
maiden,  ejaculated  a  prayer  to  God  to  "  defend 
them  in  all  dangers  and  adversities,"  and  ''  not  to 
leave  nor  forsake  them." 

"Ah,  yes,"  said  Bond,  "God  will  be  your 
help  now,  for  He  has  been  your  guide  and 
rule  of  life  since  you  were  a  little  wee  thing 
saying  the  Lord's  Prayer  at  your  mother's 
knee." 

"  The  God  of  battles  protect  and  defend  us  all, 
and  deliver  us  out  of  the  hands  of  our  enemies  ! " 
cried  she;  and  the  other  two  said  a  hearty 
"Amen!" 

A  few  moments  sufficed  to  bring  the  rascals  at 
the  door,  but  it  was  strongly  barricaded  within. 

"  Do  you  hear  them  ? "  said  Bond.  "  I  suppose 
they  mean  business,  though  I  can't  understand 
their  gibberish;  and  dang  my  buttons,  but  I'll 
give  them  some  of  my  lead  pills  to  cure  their 
stomach-aches!" 


124  BOEDER    TALES 

Allen,  who  had  followed  the  sea,  took  a  quid  of 
tobacco  in  his  mouth — ^the  better  to  steady  his 
nerves,  he  said,  a  habit  he  had  acquired  on  board 
of  a  man-of-war  before  going  into  action — and 
then  he  threw  down  his  tarpaulin  ready  for  the 
first  onset.  He  was  a  fine  specimen  of  an 
American  seaman,  full-chested,  with  brawny  arms, 
and  quite  six  feet  high  in  his  stockings. 

Bond  seized  his  large  sword,  and  stood  behind 
Allen  to  finish  his  work,  if  needful.  The  window 
opening  was  only  large  enough  for  one  to  shoot 
out  from  at  a  time. 

Poor  Estelle,  she  spoke  not  a  word,  but  her 
lips  moved  in  silent  prayer.  She  was  greatly 
frightened,  for  she  had  heard  how  the  Indians 
cruelly  scalped  their  foes,  and  then  killed  them 
often  by  a  slow  torture.  But  she  did  not  know 
that  they  had  never  been  taught  anything 
better,  in  their  half-civilized  condition,  and  their 
ignorant  and  depraved  lives  were  pretty  much 
on  a  footing  with  the  wild  beasts  of  the  forest, 
with  which  they  daily  associated. 

Bond  felt  assured  that  a  good  woman's  prayers 
would  be  heard,  and  so  he  dismissed  all  fears  of 
danger,  though  the  yells  became  louder  and 
fiercer  than  ever. 

"  Stand  firm,"  said  Bond  to  Allen ;  "  they  have 


ABOUND    THE   CAMP  FIRE.  125 

found  us  out,  and  yet  they  don't  know  but  what 
we  are  twenty  in  number." 

"  Be  sure  of  me,  sir,"  replied  the  other.  "  I've 
stood  more  than  one  fight  on  the  ocean,  and  I'll 
not  flinch  a  hair  now,  with  such  a  precious  charge 
lying  yonder." 

The  Indians,  all  at  once,  grew  quiet,  as  if  hold- 
ing a  council. 

"  It's  no  use  trying  to  hold  a  parley  with  them, 
think  you  ? "  said  Allen. 

"Not  much,  I  guess,  from  all  I  have  heard 
about  them,  as  they  never  ask  or  give  quarter 
in  fighting." 

"Then,  blast  my  eyes  if  I  give  them  any 
mercy ! " 

"Mind,  too,  as  men,  we  can't  scalp  them,  as 
they  wiU  us,  if  they  get  a  chance." 

"  Scalp  us  ?  what  for  ? " 

"  Why,  you  see,  none  will  ever  get  to  be  a  big 
Indian  chief,  unless  he  has  at  least  a  dozen  scalps 
dangling  from  his  wampum  belt." 

On  taking  a  peep  through  a  hole  just  above 
the  door,  Allen  saw  the  Indians  drawing  off 
stealthily,  but  looking  back  all  the  while,  as  if 
watching  for  some  one  to  come  out.  At  any  rate, 
they  evidently  were  bent  on  mischief. 

This  interval  was  filled  up,  in  the  mean  time. 


126  BORDER    TALES 

by  the  two  men  consulting  what  they  would  do 
if  the  Indians  should  set  fire  to  their  cabin  and 
roast  them  out. 

"  Eoast  us  out  ?  How  could  they  do  that  ? "  said 
Allen. 

"Well,  just  as  they  roast  a  bear  out  of  his 
cave.  They  build  a  fire  in  the  mouth  of  the  cave, 
and  the  smoke  winds  its  way  to  Bruin's  lair,  and 
so  he  walks  out  to  see  what's  the  matter ;  and 
when  he  reaches  the  entrance,  an  Indian  stands 
on  one  side,  and  strikes  the  bear  on  the  head 
with  his  tomahawk.  Then  he  soon  despatches 
the  cubs  with  a  club,  and  eats  them." 

"And  so  that's  what  they  call  a  fair  fight?" 
said  the  sailor. 

"  WeU,  yes,  I  suppose  so,"  said  the  other.  "  At 
aU  events,  the  bear  doesn't  know  what  killed 
him.  Besides,  the  bear  does  not  fight  on  very 
fair  principles.  He  stands  up,  as  if  he  would 
like  to  shake  hands  with  a  man  and  embrace 
him,  and  then  he  just  hugs  his  victim  to 
death!" 

Not  more  than  twenty  minutes  had  elapsed 
before  our  imprisoned  friends  were  startled  by  a 
loud  outcry,  rising  into  a  wild  scream,  from 
the  savages,  which  caused  Estelle  to  tremble  and 
beg,  if  it  were  possible,  to  treat  with  the  Indians, 


AROUND    THE   CAMP  FIRE.  127 

"  for,"  said  she,  "  after  all,  they  may  not  be  bent 
on  a  hostile  expedition." 

"Dont  you  believe  a  word  of  it,  miss,"  said 
Bruce.  "They  don't  yell  in  that  kind  of  style,  un- 
less they  are  seeking  blood  and  plunder.  No,  no  ; 
they  can  talk  as  mild  as  a  lamb  when  they  come 
to  beg  coffee  and  tobacco,  but  that  yell  means  a 
war-cry." 

Then,  all  at  once,  as  if  by  concert,  the  whole 
band  set  up  a  tremendous  yell,  which  rang 
through  the  forest  like  a  screech  from  a  couple 
of  locomotive  engines.  Determined  to  see  the 
worst  of  the  danger.  Bond  rushed  out  of  the 
door,  to  see,  only  ten  rods  away,  a  band  of  fifty 
wild  Indians,  who,  brandishing  their  tomahawks 
and  knives  in  the  air,  and  climbing  over  the 
earthworks,  rushed  towards  the  cabin. 

They  espied  him  at  once,  and  he  had  just  time 
to  rush  within  the  door  and  fix  the  barricade 
against  it,  when  a  dozen  rushed  madly  forward, 
and  planted  their  tomahawks  into  the  door,  with 
a  yell  that  might  have  come  from  demons. 


128  BORDER    TALES 


CHAPTER  VI. 

The  dangers  which  surrounded  the  two  men 
and  poor  Estelle  were  very  threatening  indeed. 
Mr.  Bostwick,  his  wife  Hannah,  and  their  three 
children,  were  of  little  service,  owing  to  their 
inexperience  of  Indian  habits  and  customs ;  and 
although  Mr.  Bostwick  was  reared  in  Massachu- 
setts, and  his  wife  in  Connecticut,  where  the 
Indians  had  fought  the  Puritan  settlers,  they 
knew  nothing  personally  of  Indian  warfare. 

Bond  was  the  first  to  cheer  up  his  companions, 
now  numbering  in  all  eight;  but  the  savage 
yells  soon  drowned  his  words.  Estelle  had  heard 
enough  to  comfort  her  with  the  thought  that 
she  was  protected  by  three  stout-hearted  men, 
and  that  the  God  of  battles  watched  over  them 
all. 

Bold  as  a  lion.  Bond  was  not  content  with 
remaining  pent  up  in  the  cabin.  So,  after  being 
wounded  (as  represented  in  the  illustration),  he 
rushed  forth,  determined  to  overcome  them  by  a 
sudden  display  of  courage.     And,  in  truth,  the 


AROUND    THE   CAMP  FIRE.  129 

ammunition  had  nearly  all  been  exhausted,  so 
that  he  was  obliged  to  seize  his  trusty  sword,  and 
deal  death  and  destruction  among  the  ranks  of 
the  wily  foe.  All  aghast,  the  natives  fell  back 
with  awful  yells,  as  they  saw  the  destruction  of 
their  chosen  by  one  man.  The  slaughter  on  the 
right  hand  and  on  the  left,  by  a  dexterous 
movement  of  the  white  man,  seemed  to  strike 
terror  into  the  breasts  of  the  savages,  as  he  cut 
off  one  head  after  another  and  laid  them  low. 

"  Give  them  Jessie  ! "  shouted  Allen,  as  he  laid 
about  him  on  every  side  with  a  pike  he  had  in 
his  hand.  "  Remember  our  children  and  women 
in  peril,  and  let  us  fight  and  die,  if  need  be,  in 
the  last  ditch!'' 

The  Indians  became  demoralized  by  the  terrible 
slaughter  of  their  companions,  and  they  began 
to  think  the  Great  Spirit  had  deserted  them. 
They  had  their  "  charms  "  with  them,  but  they 
began  to  fear  that  the  pale-faces  had  charms  also 
that  protected  them.  For  instance,  they  noticed 
that  Bond  wore  a  red  cap  with  a  feather  in  it. 
They  imagined  that  if  they  could  only  capture 
this  feather,  the  victory  would  turn  on  their  side. 
They  soon  saw  it  was  no  use  to  fight  against  the 
*'  white  man's  medicine,"  *  as  it  is  called ;  and  as 

*  A  cliarm  or  talisman. 

K 


130  BOEDER    TALES 

if  by  a  signal,  they  began  to  withdraw,  but  in  an 
orderly  and  quiet  manner.  They  yelled  and 
howled,  making  the  forest  ring  out  with  their 
frightful  noise.  By  striking  their  hands  over 
their  mouths,  and  yelling  at  the  same  time,  they 
produced  a  horrid  din,  as  any  one  can  see  who 
tries  this  mode,  so  common  among  all  Indians, 
when  having  their  war-dances. 

For  some  time  the  forest  echoed  with  their 
yells;  but  by-and-by  they  died  away  with  the 
passing  breeze,  and  all  was  hushed  and  still. 

Mr.  Bostwick,  who  had  acted  merely  in  the 
capacity  of  fugleman,  or  powder-man,  doing 
•good  service,  now  exhorted  the  brave  men  to 
remember  that,  though  they  had  shown  great 
prowess  in  defending  the  helpless  women  and 
children,  it  was  due  to  their  heavenly  Father  to 
return  thanks  for  so  signal  a  deliverance. 

All  agreed  to  this  pious  proposition. 

Drawing  his  Prayer-book  from  his  pocket,  he 
read  from  the  psalter : — 

"  To  Thee,  0  Lord  our  God,  belong  mercy  and 
power,  faithfulness  and  truth. 

"  Thou  art  our  rock  and  our  fortress,  our  de- 
liverer, our  God,  our  strength,  in  whom  we  will 
trust. 

"  We  will  call  upon  the  Lord,  who  is  worthy  to 


AROUND    THE   GAMP  FIEE,  131 

be  praised;  so  shall  we  be  saved  from  our 
enemies. 

"  We  will  keep  the  ways  of  the  Lord  our  God 
for  ever  and  ever,  and  He  will  be  our  guide  unto 
death." 

Then,  drawing  forth  from  another  pocket  a 
tuning-fork,  and  a  pitch-pipe  made  of  mahogany 
by  himself,  he  began  to  sing,  followed  by  his 
wife  and  others,  the  "  Old  Hundredth,"  so  common 
all  over  the  land. 

"  Let  all  the  earth,  with  one  consent, 
To  God  their  cheerful  voices  raise  ; 
Glad  homage  pay  with  awful  mirth, 
And  sing  before  him  songs  of  praise." 

Then,  kneeling  down,  they  joined  in  the  Lord's 
Prayer :  and  at  the  end  of  the  prayer  of  thanks- 
giving, all  said  a  hearty  "Amen  !" 

While  the  inmates  were  preparing  coffee  for 
supper,  which  had  been  delayed  to  a  late  hour 
on  account  of  the  sudden  attack  of  the  Indians, 
Bond  and  Allen  went  out  to  take  a  survey  of  the 
battle-ground,  and  see  how  many  of  the  savages 
had  bitten  the  dust. 

"  The  rascally  villains  ! "  muttered  Bond,  wiping 
the  drops  of  perspiration  from  his  brow,  as  he 
looked  over  the  ground  so  recently  covered  with 
the  dusky  forms  of  the  savages. 


132  BOBBER    TALES 

"  Villains  ?  I  believe  they  are  the  children  of 
the  evil  one,"  said  the  other,  as  he  threw  a  quid 
of  tobacco  in  the  face  of  a  dead  Cayuga.  "  It's 
no  child's  play  we've  been  engaged  in,  for  every 
Indian  is  worse  than  a  wild  animal  when  he's 
a-fighting ! " 

"  This  fellow,"  said  Bruce,  pointing  to  a  stalwart 
chief,  ''  did  not  know  what  hit  him,  I  guess,  for 
a  chunk  of  lead  carried  away  the  roof  of  his 
cranium." 

"  No,  nor  that  other  chap  alongside  him,"  said 
Allen,  pointing  to  another  whose  body  lay  apart 
from  his  head.  "  You  must  have  read  of  Sir 
William  Wallace,  the  hero  of  Scotland,  who 
swung  his  claymore,  fifteen  feet  long,  and  cut  his 
way  in  many  a  fray  among  the  Highlands,  as  a 
mower  cuts  the  grain." 

"  And  you  ?  Why  give  me  aU  the  praise  ? 
You  thrashed  the  rascals  as  though  you  had 
swung  a  flail  all  your  life  on  a  farm." 

"Ay,  ay,"  said  the  sailor,  "I  played  a  tattoo 
on  some  of  their  skulls,  and  gave  them  what 
Paddy  gave  the  drum — a  good  beating." 

Supposing  the  other  Indians  might  return  in 
the  night  to  bury  the  bodies  of  the  slain,  or 
carry  them  off,  they  took  advantage  of  the  moon- 
light to  count  them,  and  found  a  dozen  lying 


ABOUND    TEE   CAMP  FIRE,  133 

prostrate  on  the  ground.  They  had  gone  to  "the 
happy  hunting  grounds  "  for  good  and  all. 

But  the  drama  was  not  yet  ended.  Bond  saw 
one  of  the  biggest  of  the  Indians  raise  himself  up 
gradually  from  the  ground,  and  he  drew  near  to 
see  if  he  needed  another  touch  of  the  weapon  he 
had  left  in  the  cabin ;  but  when  he  came  close  to 
the  Indian,  he  jumped  up  suddenly,  and  with  a 
yell  plunged  his  knife  into  Bond's  side,  and  so, 
before  he  could  say  "  Jack  Robinson,"  bounded 
away  and  was  out  of  sight.  Judge  of  Bond's 
surprise,  which  was  so  sudden  as  almost  to 
paralyze  him ;  and  turning  to  his  friend,  he  said — 

"  Dang  my  buttons  !  but  the  fellow  came  near 
giving  me  my  quietus.  If  he  had  aimed  a  little 
higher,  he'd  have  struck  a  deadly  blow." 

"  Are  you  seriously  hurt  ? "  said  Allen. 

"  Not  exactly — only  my  '  bread-basket '  is  cut 
a  little  near  the  diaphragm ;  and  I  hope  to  live 
yet  to  give  him  a  Roland  for  an  Oliver." 

"  Lucky  he  didn't  stay  longer  and  strike  higher. 
He  could  easily  have  finished  you ;  but  I'd  have 
taken  the  wind  out  of  his  sails,"  said  the  other. 

"  If  he  had  fired  the  magazine  " — pointing  to 
his  heart — "  he'd  have  blown  me  up  sky  high." 

They  now  began  to  look  more  carefully  at  the 
others,  lest  another  one  or  two  might  be  still 


134  BOBDER    TALES 

alive  and  "playing  'possum."  But  they  were 
satisfied  that  nothing  could  revive  the  carcases 
of  those  remaining  stark  and  stiff  upon  the 
ground,  till  the  trumpet  of  the  archangel  should 
sound  at  the  resurrection  morn. 

On  their  return  to  the  cabin,  they  found  that 
in  the  excitement  Mr.  Bostwick  had  been  slightly 
wounded,  and  that  Estelle  had  bound  his  wrist 
with  a  bandage  during  the  fight.  As  he  had  not 
complained  at  all,  Bond  and  Allen  had  not  known 
it  before.  After  this  excitement,  Estelle  had 
thrown  herself  down  upon  her  rude  bed,  and 
seemed  to  fall  into  a  kind  of  stupor.  When  they 
entered  the  cabin,  she  revived,  and  exclaimed  in 
an  excited  manner — 

"  Heavenly  Father  !  are  we  safe  ? " 

"  Safe  as  a  bug  in  a  rug,"  said  Bond.  "  We've 
laid  a  dozen  low,  and  many  more  must  have 
gotten  away  wounded." 

"  And  are  you  quite  sure  they  are  really  gone 
off  for  good  ?  " 

"  Yes ;  all  that  could  travel  have  gone  to  tell 
their  sorrowful  tale.  But  if  they  had  set  eyes 
on  you,  they  might  have  fought  more  desperately, 
to  have  added  you  to  the  chief's  household,  and 
made  you  Queen  of  the  Cayugas." 

"  Heaven  forbid  ! "  exclaimed  she,  with  a 
shudder. 


ABOUND    THE   CAMP  FIRE,  135 

To  convince  her  that  all  was  peaceful  with- 
out, he  led  her  forth  to  look  upon  the  scene  of 
slaughter. 

A  BIT  OF  ROMANCE. 

She  soon  came  upon  one  of  the  fallen  foe. 
The  moonlight  enabled  her  to  look  upon  the  face 
of  one  upturned  to  the  sky,  and  what  most 
attracted  her  notice  was  a  cap  made  of  the 
feathers  of  a  white  swan,  such  as  she  had  seen 
upon  the  heads  of  the  most  noted  chiefs,  as  dis- 
tinguished from  those  made  from  squirrel-skins 
and  foxes.  The  expression  on  the  face  of  the 
Indian  at  once  aroused  her  attention,  as  if  by 
magic.  There  is  something  startling  and  awful 
in  looking  upon  the  face  of  the  dead  at  any 
time ;  but  there  is  a  difference  in  the  appear- 
ance of  one  who  dies  after  a  spell  of  sickness 
and  long  suffering,  and  one  who  is  suddenly  cut 
off  in  full  health.  Hence  in  paintings  depicting 
the  scene  of  "Herodias's  daughter  bearing  the 
head  of  John  the  Baptist  in  a  charger,"  one  will 
notice  a  waxlike  appearance  of  the  skin. 

The  Indian  lay  half  doubled  up,  with  one  arm 
Tmder  his  head  and  the  right  hand  of  the  other 
thrust  into  his  bosom,  as  if  grasping  something 


136  BORDER    TALES 

half  concealed.  Perhaps  it  was  only  a  woman's 
curiosity  that  noticed  this  circumstance.  She 
looked  at  him,  almost  fearing  to  draw  his  hand 
away ;  for  he  was  lying  close  by  eleven  others, 
and  any  one  looking  upon  these  slaughtered  men 
would  say  to  themselves,  as  she  did,  "  These 
savages  have  done  nothing  that  seemed  wrong 
for  them  to  do.  They  kill  all  foes,  wild  beasts 
and  birds,  white  and  red  men,  because  they  learn 
in  infancy  that  a  good  Indian  must  be  a  brave, 
or  he  will  never  get  to  be  a  chief.  They,"  said 
she,  "  were  alive  an  hour  ago,  and  now  they  have 
gone  to  the  other  world,  to  be  judged  by  their 
Creator  according  to  the  light  of  nature  as  their 
only  teacher.  God  made  them  as  well  as  He 
made  us,  and  He  is  a  merciful  Father  to  all  His 
children." 

The  dead  Indian  who  awakened  these  reflec- 
tions had  his  face  partly  covered  by  long  black, 
silken  hair,  falling  below  his  neck  to  the  shoulders. 

As  her  feelings  of  horror  gradually  subsided 
from  the  first  sight  of  the  slain  natives  lying 
around  him,  she  stooped  over  the  body,  and 
gently  took  hold  of  the  hand  that  seemed  clenched 
with  a  death  grip  on  a  part  of  his  body.  The 
fingers  were  not  stiff*,  but  yielded  easily  to  her 
effort  to  unclasp  them  from  the  spot  they  were 


ABOUND    THE  CAMP  FIRE.  137 

fastened,  and  the  hand  fell  instantly  to  the 
ground.  The  sudden  unclosing  of  the  fingers 
made  her  start,  and  she  thought  she  perceived  a 
kind  of  quivering  of  the  body  to  take  place. 
Pausing  a  moment,  she  watched  the  body,  but 
could  perceive  nothing  further  that  indicated  life. 
At  length,  putting  her  hand  upon  the  spot  on  his 
bosom,  she  felt  something  beneath  his  vesture 
of  a  hard  substance.  Curiosity  at  once  induced 
her  to  take  a  small  clasp  knife  which  she  had  for 
years  carried  with  her,  and  to  cut  through  the 
cloth.  In  doing  this  she  discovered  a  small 
silver  plate,  fastened  with  strings  of  some  kind 
of  skin,  which  went  through  holes  in  it,  and  then 
passed  round  his  body  and  were  tied  strong. 

With  considerable  difficulty  she  unfastened  the 
plate,  and  drew  it  from  beneath  the  covering. 
The  outside  was  polished  bright  and  smooth,  and 
the  under  side  was  hollow  ;  the  plate  being  raised 
in  similar  form  to  the  crystal  of  a  watch,  but  filled 
with  something  resembling  rosin  or  pitch. 

The  cause  of  this  being  worn  upon  his  body 
she  could  not  divine.  In  vain  she  examined  the 
spot  from  whence  she  had  removed  it,  to  discover 
if  it  had  shielded  a  tender  point  or  scar;  but 
there  was  nothing  on  the  skin  but  the  impress 
which   it  had   seemingly  made  by  being   com- 


138  BOEDER    TALES 

pressed  with  the  tightness  of  the  leather  cords 
that  had  fastened  it.  If  it  was  for  ornament, 
why  should  the  wearer  have  concealed  it  beneath 
the  cloth  vestment  ?  And  it  could  have  been  no 
protection  as  a  shield  to  his  body,  it  was  so  small ; 
and,  in  addition,  it  covered  no  particularly  ex- 
posed point  of  his  body  which  might  lead  one  to 
suppose  it  placed  there  for  a  breastplate. 

Musing  a  few  moments  on  the  singularity  of 
the  circumstance,  she  put  the  plate  into  her 
bosom,  and  rose  to  leave  the  body.  As  she  was 
about  turning  to  depart,  she  thought  she  would 
again  ascertain,  for  a  certainty,  if  there  was  life 
in  him ;  and,  accordingly,  once  more  bent  herself 
over  the  inanimate  form  before  her.  Thrusting 
her  hand  into  his  bosom,  she  placed  her  soft  palm 
upon  his  heart.  Scarce  had  she  touched  this 
spot,  the  seat  of  life,  when  a  faint  exclamation 
escaped  her ;  for  beneath  her  gentle  pressure,  she 
distinctly  felt  a  feeble  throbbing,  as  though  life, 
still  lingering,  was  about  passing  off  in  fainter 
and  fainter  pulsations  from  the  vital  throne. 
"  The  dying  spark  still  glows,"  murmured  she  to 
herself,  withdrawing  her  hand  from  his  bosom, 
and,  raising  his  head,  attempted  to  place  him  in 
an  easier  position. 

As  she  moved  him,  the  hand  that  she  first  dis- 


AROUND    THE   CAMP  FIRE,  139 

covered  grasping  his  breast  was  convulsively 
raised  by  him  to  the  same  spot  from  which  she 
had  unloosed  it,  and  seemed  vainly  attempting  to 
clasp  the  place  again.  In  raising  his  head,  a 
part  of  his  dishevelled  long  hair  fell  back  and 
exposed  his  face,  and  for  the  moment  he  opened 
his  eyes.  There  was  a  languid  mildness  in  their 
expression  as  they  fixed  upon  her  bending  over 
him,  and  his  lips  moved  as  if  attempting  to  arti- 
culate something,  although  no  sound  caught  her 
ear.  That  feeling,  inherent  in  the  female  bosom, 
which  neither  time  nor  circumstances  can  eradi- 
cate, and  which  ever  shows  itself  at  the  sight  of 
distress,  prompted  Estelle  to  alleviate  the  suffer- 
ing form  before  her.  To  save  life,  though  at  the 
hazard  of  bringing  a  deadly  foe  again  upon  them, 
altered  not  her  sympathetic  heart ;  and  she  chafed 
the  cold  forehead  of  the  native,  and  applied  a 
small  vial  of  camphorated  and  volatile  spirits, 
carried  and  used  by  herself,  to  his  nostrils,  to 
revive,  if  possible,  the  almost  inanimate  form  she 
was  bending  over.  Again  he  opened  his  eyes,  a 
new  life  seemed  to  have  been  given  to  the  dark 
orbs  of  vision,  and  a  faint  smile  apparently  played 
upon  his  countenance;  consciousness  was  first 
usurping  the  suspended  powers  of  animation. 
Mentally  Estelle  thanked  the  omnipotent  God, 


140  BORDER   TALES 

as  she  saw  indications  of  returning  life,  brought 
as  it  were  into  existence  again,  by  the  slender 
means  she  was  enabled  to  use.  A  small  tree  stood 
near  where  he  lay  stretched  upon  the  ground ; 
and  she  exerted  her  utmost  strength  to  move  and 
set  him  leaning  against  it.  She  succeeded,  and 
for  a  moment  sat  by  his  side,  holding  his  head, 
which  had  dropped  from  feebleness  upon  one  side; 
and  while  supporting  him  in  this  upright  posi- 
tion. Bond  and  Allen  came  upon  the  scene. 

To  those  who  have  witnessed  woman's  devotion 
at  the  bedside  of  the  sick  and  dying,  of  the  sick 
and  wounded  in  hospitals,  and  on  the  battle-field 
of  deadly  strife,  Estelle's  attention  to  this  one  is 
easily  understood.  Florence  Nightingale,  at  the 
Crimean  war,  was  the  forerunner  of  many  others 
rising  up  in  the  civil  war  in  America,  as  also  in 
the  Prussian  and  French  campaign,  ready  to  go 
forth  and  smooth  the  pathway  of  the  dying  to 
the  better  land.  Indeed,  many  a  youth  was 
restored  to  loved  mother  by  careful  nursing  of 
those  Sisters  of  Mercy,  or  better  called,  "  Merciful 
Sisters,"  in  some  army  hospital. 

Bond  asked  Estelle  if  she  expected  to  restore 
again  to  life  one  he  deemed  "as  dead  as  a 
stone." 

"  My  friend,  do  you  not  see  that  life  is  not  ex- 


ABOUND    TEE  CAMP  FIBE,  141 

tinct  ?  This  young  savage  still  breathes,  and  God 
will  be  angry  with  us  if  we  do  not  try  to  pre- 
serve his  life  now  he  is  in  our  power." 

"  No  doubt,  madam ;  but  if  he  he  alive,  he 
reminds  me  of  a  cat,  which,  they  say,  has  nine 
lives." 

"  I  certainly  thought  him  dead  at  first,"  said 
she,  "  but  on  moving  him  he  began  to  show  signs 
of  life.  Run  to  the  cabin,  and  fetch  me  the  wine 
cordial,  do ;  I  think  he  can  be  saved." 

"  But,"  said  the  other,  "  mercy  is  not  justice. 
'  Let  the  dead  bury  the  dead,'  says  the  Bible." 

"  Scripture  says  also,  '  Thou  shalt  not  kill,'  and 
'  Mercy  rejoiceth  against  judgment.' " 

Bond  soon  got  the  cordial. 

"Pray,"  said  Allen,  ''let's  save  the  wounded  and 
bury  the  dead.  I've  been  a  prisoner  myself  and 
was  wounded,  so  I  know  how  it  is.  If  the 
English  surgeon  hadn't  been  kind  to  me  on  a 
man-of-war  ship,  where  would  I  be  now?  It 
was  me  that  felled  the  chap,  and  the  young 
Indian  smiled  as  he  drew  near,  when  I  was  cut- 
ting right  and  left.  He  feU,  as  if  a  ball  had 
reached  his  heart,  and  he  only  gave  a  faint  yell, 
and  all  at  once  was  as  still  as  a  dead  kitten." 

Estelle  applied  the  cordial  to  his  lips,  and  at 
once  they  removed  him  a  short  distance,  and  laid 


142  BORDER   TALES 

him  carefully  down  upon  a  bed  of  dry  leaves. 
Next,  they  laid  the  bodies  of  his  eleven  com- 
panions in  a  trench,  throwing  evergreens  over 
them,  and  then  covering  them  with  the  light 
sandy  soil  of  the  hill. 

Night  was  setting  in,  and,  as  yet,  Walker  and 
the  captain  had  not  returned.  The  sun  went 
down  in  the  west,  reflecting  a  gorgeous  sunlight 
on  the  tree-tops  and  over  the  distant  hills  which 
towered  up  in  the  north. 

The  spot  where  the  bodies  of  the  slain  lay 
they  marked  with  stakes,  and  the  men  at  once 
gathered  some  dry  branches  with  which  to  make 
a  fire,  and  keep  it  burning  through  the  night, 
in  case  the  captain  should  return  hungry,  and 
might  need,  at  least,  a  cup  of  coffee,  if  not  a 
rasher  of  bacon  or  a  piece  of  dried  venison. 

"I  shouldn't  wonder,"  said  Bond,  "that  some 
ugly  customer  will  pay  us  a  visit  to-night.  The 
smell  of  blood  is  very  keen  among  beasts  of  the 
forest;  and  it  is  said  that  crows  and  buzzards 
can  scent  a  carcase  five  miles  away." 

"  Well,"  said  Allen,  "  we  must  stow  away  our 
dried  venison  and  moose-meat "  (meaning  the 
supposed  dead  Indian  who  had  been  nursed  by 
EsteUe). 

But  she  came  back  from  the  bed  of  leaves  upon 


ABOUND   THE   CAMP  FIRE.  143 

which  the  young  Indian  lay,  and  reported  that 
he  had  suddenly  revived  and  made  his  escape, 
without  as  much  as  thanking  her  for  her  kind- 
ness, or  telling  her  when  he  would  come  back 
again.  She  said  he  darted  into  the  forest  like 
a  deer,  and  bounded  away  as  if  nothing  was  the 
matter. 

This  led  to  a  consultation  as  to  what  was  best 
to  be  done. 

"  If,"  said  one  of  them,  "  the  fellow  is  not  a 
viper  you  ve  warmed  into  life,  he'll  be  glad  he 
has  gotten  off  with  a  whole  skin.  On  the  con- 
trary, if  he  has  any  gratitude  in  him,  we  have 
nothing  to  fear.  Doubtless,  he  can  soon  reach 
the  Cayuga  Lake,  and  bring  back  upon  us  a  host 
of  savages,  but  all  we  have  to  do  is  to  keep  a 
good  look-out,  and  not  be  caught  napping." 

Estelle  retired  to  her  couch,  musing  on  the 
strange  events  of  the  day,  and  tried  to  compose 
herself  for  a  good  night's  rest. 

In  the  mean  time  her  companions  were  in  any 
mood  but  that  of  sleeping,  and  they  resolved  that 
their  eyes  should  not  for  a  moment  be  closed  that 
night.  They  mutually  kept  each  other  wide 
awake  by  talking,  now  of  the  day's  adventure, 
and  next  of  scenes  far  away  at  the  east  they 
called  their  home. 


144  BORDER    TALES 

"Catch  me,"  said  Allen,  "venturing  my  life 
■with  our  captain  in  a  dense  forest  again,  with 
wild  cats  and  wild  Indians.  It  is  too  much  like 
Alexander  Selkirk  and  his  island,  we  used  to 
sing  of — 

*  I  am  moDarcli  of  all  I  survey, 
My  right  there  is  none  to  dispute ; 
From  the  centre  all  round  to  the  sea, 
I  am  lord  of  the  fowl  and  the  brute.' 

No,  no ;  give  me  the  smell  of  salt  water,  and 
plenty  of  clams  and  oysters  (quahogs  some  call 
them),  lobsters  and  shad,  in  preference  to  all  the 
dried  venison,  and  the  glory  of  dead  Indians 
thrown  into  the  bargain." 

"I  was  in  hope,"  replied  the  other,  "that  the 
captain  and  the  others  would  put  in  an  appearance 
and  solve  the  mystery  ere  this  ;  and  even  now,  it 
seems  to  me,  I  hear  some  steps  coming  this 
way." 

"  Maybe  it's  them,"  replied  Allen. 

But  how  mistaken !  All  at  once  they  found 
themselves  surrounded  and  held  down  by  a  fresh 
lot  of  savages,  who  began  at  once  to  bind  their 
limbs  with  some  green  withes  they  had  brought 
with  them.    Here,  indeed,  was  a  sudden  surprise  ! 

"  Well,"  grumbled  the  old  sailor,  "  dang  my 
buttons,  this  is  quick  work,  friend  Bond,"  whom 


AROUND    TEE   CAMP  FIRE,  145 

he  saw  prostrate,  and  in  the  same  predicament 
with  himself. 

The  stealthy,  snake-like  approach  of  the  In- 
dians, surprising  the  two  bold  men  (Mr.  Bostwick 
and  wife  having  made  their  escape  through  the 
aid  of  a  friendly  Indian),  did  not  prevent  their 
calm  consideration  of  the  situation.  They  might, 
indeed,  feel  soon  the  tomahawk  or  scalping  knife 
in  their  heads  with  deadly  effect ;  but,  somehow 
or  other,  they  did  not  easily  give  way  to  de- 
pression or  despair.  They  felt  more  interested 
in  poor  Estelle,  as  one  of  the  savages  was  seen 
to  catch  hold  of  her  the  moment  she  had  reached 
the  spot  where  her  protectors  lay,  helpless  to 
defend  her. 

Her  captor  bound  her  hands  behind  her  and 
led  her  into  the  cabin.  The  Indians  appeared  in 
no  hurry,  but  were  cool  and  collected. 

A  tall,  fine-looking  young  Indian  led  the  band 
of  twelve  young  warriors,  and  his  orders  were 
strictly  obeyed.  As  near  as  the  prisoners  could 
catch  the  words,  he  said  — 

"  EAU-HIYA-KSUWEYA-CUICA-WIKOSKA  ;  KIN- 
CUICA-TARINEA  ! " 

That  is,  "  Do  not  hurt  the  young  maiden,  the 
young  deer." 

L 


146  BORDER    TALES 

One  of  the  Indians  asked  what  they  should  do 
with  the  "  Imktomi-huha-kanskas-ka  ; "  that 
is  ''Daddy  long-legs^'  as  they  called  the  two 
men. 

But  they  set  up  such  a  jabbering  in  the  lan- 
guage of  the  Iroquoi,  that  it  was  hard  to  tell 
what  it  all  meant,  as  neither  had  picked  up  any 
bits  of  the  Indian  language.  But  so,  too,  they 
knew  very  well  the  Indians  did  not,  on  their  part, 
understand  the  English  language ;  so  they  freely 
exchanged  views  on  their  perilous  condition. 

"Confound  their  lingo!"  said  Allen.  "Why 
don't  they  speak  like  Christians,  and  not  let  their 
words  jerk  out  through  their  teeth  and  noses  ? 
My  opinion  is  it's  worse  than  dog  Latin ;  and  I 
shouldn't  wonder  if  they  don't  understand  it 
themselves ! " 

"  You'd  better  dry  up,  old  fellow,"  replied  the 
other.  "  Don't  you  see  the  rascals  are  building  a 
fire  yonder,  as  if  they  meant  to  stay  and  make 
themselves  at  home  here,  and  maybe  roast  us 
alive,  as  an  offering  to  the  '  Great  Manitou '  ? " 

"Well,"  said  Allen,  "they  know  one  word  at 
least  besides  'whisky'  (miniwakan),  and  that 
is  '  Yankee,'  pronounced  by  them  '  Yengeese'  and 
the  way  they  learned  to  call  us  so  is  thus 
explained.     The  French  in  Canada  had  much  to 


AROUND    THE   CAMP  FIRE.  147 

say  to  the  Indians  about  their  foes,  the  English, 
and  that  was  as  near  as  they  could  pronounce 
the  word," 

They  both  began  to  feel  pain  in  their  arms  and 
legs,  as  the  green  withes  which  bound  them  were 
very  tightly  tied, 

"  Can't  you  get  one  of  your  flippers  loose,  and 
cut  my  lashings  ? " 

"  Devil  a  bit  of  it ! "  replied  the  old  saUor.  ''  My 
opinion  is,  if  you  call  on  them  to  loosen  your 
stays,  they'll  cut  your  throat  from  ear  to  ear." 

Thus  they  talked  on  to  each  other  to  while 
away  the  time,  and  evidently  to  cheer  themselves 
up — as  naughty  boys,  who  are  put  in  a  dark 
room  for  punishment,  are  said  to  whistle  to  keep 
up  their  courage.  And  all  the  while  they  kept  a 
sharp  look  upon  the  Indians,  watching  every 
motion  as  they  were  making  preparations  to  pass 
the  night  outside  the  cabin.  So  they  felt  re- 
assured that  their  lives  would  be  spared,  at 
least  for  a  while,  when  they  saw  the  savages 
throw  themselves  on  the  ground  where  they  had 
spread  their  skins,  and  were  soon  snoring  loudly. 
The  moon  shone  out  through  the  clouds,  and  the 
heat-lightnings  played  across  the  western  sky, 
but  did  not  disturb  their  slumbers. 


148  BOEDER    TALES 


CHAPTER  YII. 

New  revelations  and  some  startling  scenes  now 
lie  before  us,  in  our  story  of  the  early  day  on 
Fort  HiU. 

Bond  and  Allen  could  not  sleep  long  nor  very 
sound,  and,  after  being  left  to  themselves, 
wondered  why  the  Indians  should  have  become, 
as  it  were,  unmindful  of  them.  It  had  thundered 
and  the  lightning  had  flashed,  but  no  rain  had 
fallen  to  wet  their  skins.  Then  they  began  to 
make  efforts  to  loosen  their  bonds,  which  bound 
them  so  tightly.  If  they  could  only  loosen  them, 
they  could  contrive  some  plan  of  escape  while 
the  thunder  howled,  and  the  mire  would  not 
reveal  their  walking  to  Estelle's  cabin  to  try 
and  release  her.  But  they  failed,  as  the  withes 
were  green  and  tied  too  tight  to  let  them  get  a 
leg  or  arm  loose  to  use  them. 

"  Well,"  said  the  old  sailor,  '*  I  suppose  we  may 
as  well  make  the  best  of  it.  Let  us  try  and 
got  a  little  more  sleep  on  the  dry  leaves,  and 


AROUND    THE   CAMP  FIBE.  149 

do  as  '  The  Babes  in  the  Wood '  did  when  they 
had  no  home  to  live  in." 

But  the  other  partner  in  danger  had  no  heart 
to  indulge  in  witticism  or  jokes  while  surrounded 
with  dangerous  foes,  who  might  take  it  into  their 
heads  to  get  up  at  any  moment,  and  sacrifice 
them  by  roasting  slowly  before  a  fire,  or  torture 
them  by  fastening  them  to  a  tree  and  practising 
their  skill  in  throwing  knives  or  tomahawks  at 
their  heads,  by  way  of  shooting  at  a  mark. 

But  nature  will  give  way  to  fatigue,  and  it 
was  not  long  before  both  were  fast  asleep  once 
more,  and  snoring  too,  as  soundly  as  if  they  were 
at  home  sleeping  in  a  stable,  or  on  board  ship 
swinging  in  a  hammock. 

Allen  next  morning,  on  opening  his  eyes,  dis- 
covered a  large  stalwart  Indian  standing  directly 
over  him,  and  gazing  intently  at  him.  He  seemed 
to  look  down  upon  his  captives  with  silent  con- 
tempt, much  as  a  huge  mastifi*  contemplates  a 
little  terrier,  or  as  a  cat  looking  at  a  mouse. 
His  broad,  naked  shoulders,  and  arms  muscular 
and  sinewy,  folded  upon  his  bosom,  showed  a 
strength  not  to  be  despised,  and  his  gaze  denoted 
a  vision  like  the  eagle's  as  he  gazes  upon  the 
sun. 

Allen  raised  himself  on  his  elbow,  and  turned 


150  BOBBER    TALES 

up  his  good-natured  but  rather  doleful  face  to 
the  captor,  and  said,  "Old  chap,  just  you  cut 
these  things  and  let  me  loose,  and  111  not  run 
away,  'pon  my  honour." 

No  answer  to  Allen's  request  was  returned  by 
the  native,  who  seemed  not  to  understand  him  ; 
but  strode  off  with  a  majestic  tread,  after  having 
gathered  up  a  large  bearskin  partly  over  his 
shoulders,  which  had  fallen  low  about  his  body 
as  he  stood  with  his  folded  arms  over  the  old 
sailor. 

"Stiff*  as  a  midshipman!"  muttered  Allen. 
"  If  I  had  you  on  board  the  Butterfly,  my  copper- 
coloured  chap,  the  boatswain  should  tickle  your 
hull ; "  and  he  followed  him  with  his  eyes  as  he 
mingled  with  the  other  natives,  who  were  now 
stirring  round. 

It  was  an  hour  or  two  after  this  before  any  of 
the  natives  took  notice  of  Bond  or  Allen.  They 
had  both  risen  to  a  sitting  posture,  and  hitched 
themselves  close  together.  Bond  would  occasion- 
ally utter  a  curse  against  the  imps,  which  would 
immediately  be  responded  to  by  the  other.  All 
at  once,  they  discovered  a  cluster  of  natives 
gathering  together,  and  in  a  few  moments  they 
came  towards  where  they  sat.  As  they  moved 
along,  a  white  man  was  seen  among  them,  though 


ABOUND    THE   CAMP  FIRE,  151 

he  looked  about  as  savage  as  the  crowd  of  dark 
bodies  around  him, 

"  There  is  a  white  Indian  among  them  fellows," 
said  Bond. 

"  So  there  is,  or  old  Bob  never  took  a  correct 
observation,"  replied  Allen.  ''I  wonder  if  the 
fellow  has  turned  Turk  or  Indian  ? " 

"  Very  likely  both,"  answered  Bond. 

In  the  mean  time  the  crowd  of  natives  ap- 
proached where  they  were  sitting,  and  soon  sur- 
rounded them  by  forming  a  circle.  As  yet  they 
had  kept  strict  silence,  but  all  of  a  sudden  a  yell 
proceeded  from  the  leader,  and  all  joined  in  the 
horrid  chorus.  Then  they  began  to  move  round 
in  single  file,  uttering  sounds  of  discord ;  while 
each  one  lifted  his  tomahawk,  and  drew  his 
scalping  knife,  flourishing  them  in  the  air,  and 
with  fiendish  looks  directed  towards  their 
prisoners,  strained  their  voices  as  loud  as 
thunder. 

Old  Allen  eyed  them  as  they  danced  around, 
like  the  witches  in  "  Macbeth,"  until  his  face  re- 
laxed into  a  quizzical  smile  at  the  comic  actions 
and  queer  doings  he  saw.  But  turning  to  Bond, 
he  muttered,  ''Dang  my  buttons.  Master  Bond, 
what  under  the  sun  are  they  about  ? " 

"  Well,"  replied  he,  **  I  guess  it  means  our  death 
song,  and  they  are  chanting  it  now." 


152  BORDER    TALES 

''  I  do  not  fancy  the  music,"  replied  Allen ;  ''and 
it  can't  be  true,  as  some  old  poet  wrote — 

*  Music  hath  charms  to  soothe  the  savage  breast ; ' 

for  they  are  singing  our  lullaby,  and  stirring  up 
the  old  boy  in  their  wicked  hearts."  The  eyes 
of  Allen  rolled  from  one  object  to  another,  while 
they  circled  round  with  their  faces  horribly 
painted.  "  Confound  their  tin-pan  music !  It 
sounds  about  as  musical  as  filing  a  saw,  or 
pulling  a  naughty  cat  out  of  an  ash-hole  !  Now, 
if  they  put  daylight  through  me,  and  you  get  off, 
you  tell  our  captain  that  I  died  game." 

The  loud  yells  of  the  savages  almost  drowned 
this  appeal;  but  Bond  had  nodded  assent,  as 
his  bold  comrade  made  a  successful  attempt  to 
get  his  hand  loose.  Having  a  large  pocket-knife 
in  his  left  side  pocket,  he  managed  to  work  it 
out,  and  with  his  teeth  opened  the  blade.  One 
may  be  sure  he  was  not  long  in  cutting  himself 
loose.  He  was  free  from  the  withes  which  held 
him  fast.  Turning  to  his  comrade,  he  whispered, 
*'  I  may  as  well  let  you  up  too,  and  see  if  we 
can't  get  out  of  this  hell-hole  !  " 

Then  he  cut  the  other's  fastenings,  undiscovered 
by  the  Indians — at  least,  they  thought  so.  But 
the  two  men  were  imprudent  enough  to  draw  out 


AROUND    TEE   CAMP  FIRE.  153 

a  plug  of  tobacco,  and  while  Allen  was  biting  off 
a  quid,  the  Indians  discovered  the  motion.  All 
of  a  sudden,  a  dozen  sprang  up,  and  raising  their 
tomahawks,  began  to  yell  and  whoop  like  mad. 
They  would  soon  have  made  short  work  of  their 
prisoners,  had  not  the  tall  and  muscular  savage, 
and  another  (a  youth),  with  a  bound  jumped  in 
before  them,  ot'dering  them  back  to  where  they 
had  just  been  seated. 

The  chief  ordered  the  prisoners  to  follow  him ; 
and  they  rose  to  their  feet,  wondering  what  next 
would  take  place.  Harmless  they  went  with  him 
on  the  other  side  of  the  hollow,  a  few  rods,  where 
Estelle  was  a  prisoner,  and  were  bid  to  enter. 

"  Ah,  Bond,  we  had  a  close  shave  that  time," 
said  Allen.  ''We'd  have  soon  been  done  for 
— made  cold  mutton,  I'm  sure,  if  they  did  not 
really  torture  us  over  a  slow  fire." 

"  Yes,  that's  so,"  replied  Bond.  "  But  where  is 
Estelle?  I  pray  Heaven  she's  not  carried  off 
beyond  our  reach." 

Before  Allen  had  time  to  reply,  the  poor  girl, 
pale  and  agitated,  entered  the  shelter  and  sank 
down,  with  her  hands  tied  fast  behind  her.  She 
had  passed  the  night  quite  unharmed,  indeed,  but 
sleep  refused  to  visit  her  eyelids.  The  loud 
shouts  of  the  savages  had  driven  her  from  the 


154  BOBBER    TALES 

tent  a  few  minutes  before,  but  seeing  her  friends 
safe,  she  came  back  again. 

"  Bless  your  dear  heart,  miss,"  said  the  old 
sailor,  "  I  was  afraid  we  would  never  see  your 
face  again." 

"  Thanks  be  to  Him  who  hath  said,  '  not  a  hair 
of  your  head  shall  perish,'  we  are  all  thus  far  safe 
from  cruel  torture  and  death.  But,"  said  she, 
"  those  natives  who  were  slain  yesterday  will  be 
visited  upon  us,  I  greatly  fear." 

"  Never  you  mind,  girl,"  said  Allen.  "  Things 
look  squally;  but,  you  know,  we  must  have  a  gale 
now  and  then,-  for  the  sea  is  purified  by  winds 
and  storms,  and  it  is  not  always  calm  and  smooth, 
nor  is  it  ever  fair  weather  at  all  times  on  the 
ocean.   But,  dear  me,  let  me  cut  your  arms  loose." 

"  No,  no,"  said  she.  "  I  am  afraid  they  will  bind 
me  tighter  still  if  you  do." 

If  any  one  has  heard  a  loud  crash  of  thunder 
and  seen  forked  lightning  break  out  of  a  black 
sky,  he  can  imagine  how  startled  this  group 
was  when  they  heard  another  outcry  from 
the  Indians,  which  excelled  all  they  had  heard 
before.  It  brought  the  men  to  their  feet,  and 
not  knowing  the  cause,  they  rushed  at  once  to 
the  opening  of  the  tent  to  see  what  had  caused 
this  tumult. 


AROUND    THE   CAMP  FIRE,  155 

The  natives  were  all  rushing  along  the  south 
part  of  the  trenches,  with  fiendish  shouts,  jump- 
ing over  the  parapets  close  by  the  prisoners.  All 
at  once  they  heard  the  loud  bark  of  Bose,  the 
captain's  dog,  a  huge  mastiff  well  known  to  the 
old  sailor. 

"  Ah,"  said  he,  "  our  comrades  have  returned, 
I  feel  quite  sure."  I  hear  old  Bose's  loud  bark ; " 
and  he  started  at  once  for  the  tent  door  to  see  if 
it  was  really  true. 

The  tall  Indian  pushed  him  back,  and  placed 
himself  in  front  of  the  door  of  the  tent. 

The  old  salt  gave  a  horrified  look  as  he  was 
thus  pushed  back,  and  he  hardly  knew  what  next 
to  do,  so  he  wisely  resigned  himself  to  his  fate. 

Presently,  however,  Bose  came  bounding  in, 
jumping  up  to  kiss  the  faces  of  all  his  friends. 

"  Where  can  the  captain  be  ? "  said  Estelle. 

As  soon  as  the  old  sailor  could  quiet  the  faith- 
ful dog,  he  said  to  her,  "  Yes,  he  can't  be  far 
away;"  and  the  girl  trembled  as  she  sat  and  lis- 
tened to  the  yells  of  the  Indians,  for  she  knew 
not  if  a  deadly  combat  had  already  begun. 

"  The  natives  have  captured  our  friends,  I  am 
quite  sure,"  said  Allen. 

"  Yes,  indeed,"  replied  the  other  ;  "  and  so  we 
must  all  die  without  judge  or  jury." 


156  BOBDER    TALES 

Amid  the  loud  yells  and  awful  screams  that 
rang  through  the  forest,  the  old  sailor  and  his 
friend  chafed  in  spirit  that  they  could  not  have  a 
share  or  hand  in  the  fray,  when  suddenly  the 
tent  was  parted  and  the  captain,  with  Walker 
and  Sambo,  the  black  servant,  tightly  bound, 
and  their  clothes  besmeared  with  blood,  were 
thrust  in. 

"  More  prisoners !"  said  the  captain,  as  his  hand 
was  grasped  by  the  old  sailor. 

"  Ay,  ay,  sir,  it  is  true.  But  they  had  double 
the  number  of  us;  and  though  old  Allen  has 
been  a  prisoner  before,  these  fellows  can't  make 
me  scare  worth  a  cent.  Ha!  old  sable,"  con- 
tinued he,  turning  to  his  black  companion  in 
misery,  who  was  covered  with  blood  and  looking 
pale  round  the  mouth, "  I'm  glad  to  see  you  haven't 
lost  your  scalp." 

This  sally  of  wit  cheered  up  Sambo,  and  he 
grinned  from  ear  to  ear  as  he  said,  "  Dis  nigger 
wasn't  brought  up  in  de  woods  to  be  scared  by 
owls."  But  the  old  darkey  would  have  been 
glad  to  see  the  whole  crew  of  savages  drowned 
in  the  Owasco  Lake. 

From  the  opening  of  the  tent  in  front,  they 
could  see  something  of  what  was  going  forward 
among  the  aborigines,  as  a  large   lot  of  them 


J 


ABOUND    THE   CAMF  FIBE,  157 

had  gathered  together,  and  one  of  them  could 
be  heard  haranguing  the  rest.  Next,  the  crowd 
separated,  and  very  soon  they  beheld  the  bodies 
of  those  slain  by  Bond  and  Allen  taken  up 
and  carried  away.  As  the  last  one  passed  in 
single  file,  Bond  told  the  captain  all  about  the 
battle  they  had  been  engaged  in,  and  of  the  flight 
of  the  natives,  and  how  they  were  taken  prisoners 
by  surprise  and  bound  as  captives. 

In  the  mean  time.  Walker  was  rehearsing  to 
Estelle  something  which  caused  her  to  weep. 
For  a  short  time  after  this.  Walker  and  the  captain 
whispered  together  apart,  and  it  was  seen  that  the 
stern  features  of  the  captain  relaxed,  and  a  smile 
came  over  his  manly,  sunburnt  features. 

The  day  passed  off*  in  a  quiet  monotony,  and 
quite  a  number  of  dusky  faces  passed  every 
now  and  then,  viewing  the  tent;  and  it  was 
observed  that  a  powerful,  tall,  and  muscular- 
built  native  kept  quite  close  to  them,  and  he 
glanced  often  at  each  of  the  prisoners. 

At  the  same  time  a  number  of  others  were 
engaged  in  erecting  lodges  of  bark,  as  though 
they  intended  sojourning  there  for  some  time 
longer.  The  old  man  Allen  and  the  black  now 
began  to  think  they  were  in  no  immediate 
danger,  and  at  once  set  to  tell  old  yams  they  had 


158  BORDER    TALES 

learned  at  sea,  sometimes  fighting  pirates  arm 
to  arm  in  the  Spanish  main,  or  singing  the  song 
of 

"  Captain  Kidd,  Captain  Kidd, 
How  he  sail-ed,  how  he  sail-ed," 

etc.,  etc.  They,  as  thousands  of  others,  believed 
the  pirate's  story  of  having  buried  untold  treasures 
of  silver  somewhere  on  the  shores  of  Long 
Island,  near  "  Coney  Island,"  or  at  Eockaway. 

The  sunrise  next  morning  found  all  in  the 
tent  wide  awake,  and  the  natives  bustling  about 
making  preparations  for  some  coming  event, 
quite  mysterious.  A  number  were  carefully 
examining  their  bows  and  arrows,  while  some 
were  listening  to  one  of  the  chiefs,  who  was 
gesticulating  and  speaking  in  a  low  voice. 

The  captain  watched  him,  as  did  Walker  also, 
with  some  forebodings  of  coming  evil.  Walker 
knew  full  well  the  spirit  of  all  Indians,  who 
hold  the  old  Mosaic  teaching  of  an  "  eye  for  an 
eye,  and  a  tooth  for  a  tooth,"  i.e.,  blood  for  blood ; 
and  some,  if  not  all  the  party  there,  must  suffer 
the  penalty  of  death. 

Strange,  that  of  all,  Sambo  showed  the  least 
anxiety  or  emotion.  He  would  scan  the  features 
and  forms  of  the  redskins  as  they  passed  to 
and  fro  where  they  were,  while  now  and  then 


AROUND    THE   CAMP  FIRE,  159 

he  would  curse  them  as  worse  than  pirates  on 
the  ocean. 

They  had  not  long  to  wait  before  they  were 
informed  as  to  their  fate. 

"  It  is  all  up  with  us,"  said  one  of  them. 

When  death  threatens,  or  any  severe  danger 
is  at  hand,  we  first  begin  to  think  of  dear  loved 
ones  at  home,  who  will  suffer  all  the  horrors 
attending  upon  our  decease,  while  waiting  hour 
after  hour,  day  by  day,  and  month  after  month, 
in  hopeless  anxiety  as  to  our  fate,  wondering  if 
we  will  ever  return  again  to  gladden  the  fireside 
of  old  home ! 

The  sun  was  high  up  in  the  sky,  when  all 
of  a  sudden  the  Indians  began  to  surround  the 
tent.  They  brought  out  each  of  its  inmates  one 
by  one,  and  fastened  them  by  withes  singly  to 
large  beech  trees,  and  then  a  kind  of  war-dance 
began.  The  trees  were  all  in  a  row,  so  each  had 
a  view  of  his  companions. 

The  yelling  increased  in  louder  tones,  as  though 
the  Indians  were  working  themselves  up  to  a 
higher  pitch  of  excitement  and  rage.  Then  they 
began  shooting  their  arrows  into  the  trees  just 
above  the  heads  of  their  victims,  and  now  and 
then  a  tomahawk  would  be  hurled  in  the  same 
direction,  sticking  fast  in  the  bark  of  the  tree. 


160  BORDER    TALES 

Poor  Estelle  was  taken  to  the  tree  next  the 
captain,  and  her  arms  were  fastened  around  the 
trunk,  while  she  seemed  ready  to  faint  with  fear. 
Bond  and  the  black  man  were  tied  to  two  trees 
next,  and  Allen,  Walker,  and  Bostwick  came  next 
in  order.  Here  they  stood  in  breathless  anxiety 
for  a  whole  hour,  awaiting  death.  Visions  of 
horror  and  torture  were  passing  through  their 
minds  all  the  while,  ere  death  should  come  to 
release  them  from  their  cruel  foes.  But  a  sur- 
prise on  which  they  had  not  counted  now 
awaited  them. 

Just  as  they  had  given  up  all  hope  of  relief 
and  could  endure  no  longer  the  horrid  suspense, 
and  while  all  (save  Estelle,  who  was  less  moved 
than  any)  trembled  with  anxiety,  a  tall,  power- 
ful native — the  one  who  had  thrust  the  captain 
into  the  tent  so  hastily — accompanied  by  a 
light,  straight,  youthful,  fine-built  native,  with 
two  white  men  dressed  in  full  Indian  costume, 
presented  themselves  before  the  eyes  of  the  as- 
tonished prisoners.  They  had  suddenly  leaped 
over  the  parapet  right  in  front  of  the  captives, 
and  hurried  towards  them.  Here  was  a  surprise 
indeed  !  The  whole  scene  changed  as  if  wrought 
by  a  miracle. 

Upon  this  the  savages  broke  forth  anew  in  a 


AROUND    THE   CAMP  FIRE.  161 

yell  of  fierce  anger,  as  they  witnessed  this  in- 
terruption of  what  they  would  call  sport.  A 
fierce  conflict  was  impending,  as  the  Indians 
raised  their  weapons  in  defiance ;  but  the  chief 
placed  a  bugle  to  his  lips,  and  blowing  a  blast, 
ordered  silence.  A  moment  more,  and  he  rushed 
to  the  side  of  the  nearest  prisoner  and  cut  his 
bonds  loose,  and  so  on  to  the  others. 

Had  an  angel  suddenly  come  down  from 
heaven  to  release  them,  he  could  not  have  been 
more  of  a  surprise  and  a  welcome  deliverer. 
They  stared  at  the  chief,  but  had  no  words  to 
express  their  amazement. 

In  a  moment,  however,  Walker  sprang 
forward,  and  addressed  one  of  the  whites  who 
came,  saying,  "  Thank  Heaven,  she ''  (Estelle) 
"  is  saved  !     Behold  your  daughter  ! " 

These  words,  like  a  new  revelation,  struck 
upon  the  ears  of  Estelle,  as  she  rushed  forward 
and  threw  herself  into  the  arms  of  her  newly 
found  and  long-lost  father.  She  exclaimed,  "  Oh, 
my  dear,  dear  father,  I  thought  you  were  dead 
and  I  an  orphan  ! " 

He  could  only  sob  out,  "  My  child,  my  only 
daughter!"  and  as  the  tears  rolled  down  his 
bronzed  cheeks,  he  drew  her  near  his  bosom  and 
thanked  God,  with  uplifted  hand  to  heaven,  for 

M 


162  BORDEB    TALES 

that  sacred  hour.  It  seemed  to  him  like  a 
dream,  as  he  gazed  from  the  captain  to  Walker, 
and  for  a  moment  seemed  lost  in  thought. 

After  Estelle's  emotion  had  had  full  vent, 
and  her  usual  calm  repose  had  returned,  she 
released  her  hold  of  her  parent,  and  glanced 
at  the  youthful  native  who  had  cut  their  bonds 
and  set  them  free.  His  eye  was  riveted  on  her, 
as  he  advanced  with  hand  extended,  and  at  once 
threw  himself  at  her  feet  in  adoration,  thanking 
her,  in  English,  as  his  preserver — the  one  who 
had  saved  his  life. 

Estelle  recognized  him  as  the  youthful  native 
whom  she  had  begged  Bond  and  Allen  to 
spare  during  the  recent  battle,  and  then,  with 
her  own  hands,  had  restored  him  to  life  among 
the  mutilated  remains  of  those  of  his  comrades 
whose  lifeless  forms  strewed  the  ground  on  Fort 
HiU. 

Putting  her  hand  into  her  bosom,  she  drew 
forth  the  silver  medal  which  she  had  taken  from 
his  body  when  he  was  unconscious,  and  handed  it 
to  him.  He  took  it  with  eagerness,  kissing  and 
grasping  it  as  his  greatest  earthly  treasure. 

Allen  drew  near  him,  having  seen  Estelle  hand 
the  medal  to  the  young  man. 

"  Let  me  look  at  that  for  a  moment,  my  boy," 


AROUND    THE   CAMP  FIRE,  163 

said  he,  at  the  same  time  wiping  his  eyes  with 
his  sleeve. 

Just  then,  the  white  man  who  came  with 
Estelle's  father  rushed  forward,  his  eyes  nearly 
bursting  out  of  his  head,  and  stood  by  their  side. 
On  seeing  what  was  in  the  hand  of  Allen,  he  made 
a  faint  attempt  to  clasp  the  young  Indian  in  his 
arms;  and  with  a  half  exclamation  in  these 
words,  "  Oh,  my  dear,  dear "  fell  back  insen- 
sible to  the  ground. 

And  thus  ended,  for  the  day,  the  romance  of 
Fort  HiU. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

We  left  our  heroine,  the  beautiful  Estelle,  and 
party  surprised  in  Fort  Hill  by  the  sudden  release 
of  herself  and  the  other  prisoners  bound  to  trees 
and  expecting  sudden  death.  During  the  time 
that  this  occurred,  the  black  man,  Sam,  had 
remained  speechless,  staring  at  the  tall  young 
Indian.  Suddenly  he  threw  up  his  arms,  and 
exclaimed — 

''I    declare   to    goodness,    Bob   Allen,    that's 


164  BORDER    TALES 

massa  !  I  knows  him  by  the  colour  of  de  eyes ! 
Sure's  you  live,  now,  it's  young  Massa  Charlie, 
for  de  scars  on  his  cheek  is  dar,  sure  as  gospel, 
mind  I  tell  ye." 

Bob  replied,  "Well,  old  Snowball,  I  guess 
you're  right;"  and  then  he  proceeded  to  hug 
the  stranger  tight  as  a  bear,  exclaiming,  "  Can't 
you  see  I'm  your  old  mate  Bob  ? " 

The  gallant  youth  stood  for  a  moment  as  if 
hesitating  in  doubt,  bewildered  by  what  he  had 
seen ;  but  soon  recovering  his  self-possession,  said, 
"  Yes,  I  do  remember.  But  who  is  this  ?  "  point- 
ing to  the  man  prostrate  before  him. 

"  Blast  my  eyes  if  I  know!"  said  the  old  sailor. 
"  Perhaps  it's  some  chap  turned  Indian,  the  same 
as  you  and  Estelle's  father." 

Then  the  captain  and  the  darkey  stood  a  little 
way  off,  the  black  holding  something  in  his  hand 
which  he  was  trying  to  decipher.  "  Show  it  to 
him,  captain  " — ^pointing  to  the  supposed  Master 
Charlie.    "It  seems  to  me  dey  bof  look  just  alike." 

Before  the  captain  could  reply,  Estelle's  father 
approached  and  demanded,  "  Where  did  you  find 
that?" 

"  Up  in  the  eagle's  nest,  massa.  He  climb  the 
tree,  and  grab  it  in  his  hand,"  replied  the  black. 

"  Hush  up,  you  rascal,  you  black  ace  of  spades  !" 


AROUND    TEE    CAMP  FIRE,  165 

said  Allen,  as  he  approached  the  captain.  "  Do 
you  see  that  copper-coloured  iidi,-tive  ? "  pointing 
to  the  young  savage. 

"  I  do ;  but  what  about  him  ? "  said  the  captain. 

"  Well,  nothing ;  only  he  happens  to  be  your 
own  brother — turned  Indian  for  the  time  being, 
that's  all." 

"  My  eyes  ! "  exclaimed  the  captain.  "  Has  he 
the  counterpart  of  this  ?  "  seizing  the  medallion 
from  the  darkey,  and  placing  it  by  the  side  of 
the  one  he  held. 

"  Stand  back  ! "  said  Estelle's  father.  "  I  alone 
can  explain  all  of  this." 

Now,  to  help  to  understand  this  part  of  our 
story,  I  will  explain  to  my  youthful  readers  the 
following,  as  relating  to  the  early  part  of  the 
narrative. 

The  Continental  Congress,  which  met  first  in 
Philadelphia,  and  adopted  the  title  of 

"THE  UNITED   STATES   OF  AMERICA," 

had  a  very  few  vessels  of  war  to  constitute  her 
navy.      Among   those   who   figured  among   the 
boldest  and  bravest  of  men  was  Paul  Jones. 
This    man,  who   became   conspicuous   in   our 


166  BORDER    TALES 

struggles  for  independence,  was  a  Scotchman^ 
bom  at  Arbigland,  near  the  month  of  the  river 
Nith,  6th  of  July,  1747.  In  1779  Jones  was 
placed  in  command  of  an  expedition,  under  the 
joint  auspices  of  the  King  of  France  and  the 
American  Commissioners. 

A  short  account  of  this  brave  man  will  be 
found  in  the  Appendix,  as  well  as  a  sketch  of  the 
life  of  Davy  Crockett,  a  warrior  on  land. 

Jones  had  a  naval  battle  with  several  of  the 
king's  men  of  war,  and  a  small  continental 
cruiser  managed  to  sail  away  into  New  England, 
and  this  vessel  fell  in  with  a  wreck,  which  was 
boarded  by  one  of  her  boats. 

When  the  leader  first  jumped  upon  the  deck, 
not  a  living  person  was  seen.  But  on  entering 
the  cabin,  however,  a  handsome  lady  was  found 
almost  dead  of  starvation,  and  lying  beside  her 
were  two  male  children,  aged  only  a  few  months. 
There  was  just  enough  of  life  in  her  emaciated 
form  for  her  to  speak  to  her  discoverers,  telling 
them  who  she  was,  and  the  names  of  the  dear 
little  ones  she  was  so  soon  to  leave  to  the  care 
of  strangers.  Breathing  a  prayer  for  them,  she 
then  expired. 

There  was  little  of  value  found  on  the  vessel, 
and  after  sewing  up  the  delicate  body  of  the  poor 


AROUND    THE  CAMP  FIBE.  167 

lady,  they  consigned  her  remains  to  the  great 
deep,  with  this  prayer : — 

"  We  therefore  commit  her  body  to  the  deep, 
to  be  turned  into  corruption,  looking  for  the 
resurrection  of  the  body  (when  the  sea  shall 
give  up  her  dead),  and  the  life  of  the  world  to 
come,  through  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ :  who  at  His 
coming  shall  change  our  vile  body,  that  it  may 
be  like  His  glorious  body,  according  to  the 
mighty  working  whereby  He  is  able  to  subdue  all 
things  unto  Himself." 

One  said,  "  Did  you  ever  think  what  a  singular 
expression  that  is,  taken  from  Scripture — '  The 
sea  shall  give  up  the  dead  '  ?  " 

The  children  were  taken  on  board  the  yacht, 
and  two  men  selected  to  care  for  them :  one  of 
them  was  the  black,  Sambo,  and  the  other  the 
large-hearted  Yankee  Allen.  These  children  had 
had  no  sustenance  for  several  days,  save  what 
they  drew  from  an  open  vein  in  the  mother's 
arm — they  sapping  her  own  life-blood  to  sustain 
themselves,  and  fulfilling  Bible  language,  "  Can 
the  mother  forget  her  sucking  child  ? " 

Black  Sam  first  discovered  this;  and  it  was 
said  that  the  sailors  amused  themselves  some- 
times, while  the  cruiser  was  making  port,  by 
pricking  their  fingers  and  letting  the  little 
fellows  suck  the  blood. 


168  BORDER    TALES 

The  mother  had  fastened  two  silver  medals 
round  her  children's  necks,  the  name  of  each 
loved  one  being  engraved  thereon ;  and  in  order 
to  preserve  the  medals,  the  sailor  and  the  black 
had  encased  them  in  leather  pouches  covered 
with  wax,  which  they  tied  to  the  orphans' 
bodies. 

In  a  few  days  they  were  in  sight  of  land,  and 
the  little  fellows  were  taken  ashore,  and  duly 
cared  for. 

After  a  year  or  so,  one  of  them  strayed  away, 
or  perhaps  was  stolen,  and  no  trace  of  him  could 
be  found. 

The  other  one,  after  two  or  more  years,  was 
taken  on  board  the  cruiser  as  an  accepted  child 
of  the  ocean  (they  called  him  "  the  little  man-of- 
war  s-man  "),  with  a  view  to  educate  him  for  the 
navy.  The  name  graven  on  his  medal,  which 
he  lost  just  before  his  brother  was  missing,  was 
"  Willie  Williamson  ;  "  and  on  his  being  placed  on 
board  the  cruiser,  Allen,  in  order  to  preserve  his 
name  in  case  of  any  accident,  did  what  so  many 
sailors  do — tattooed  the  letters  on  the  boy's 
breast  with  Indian  ink,  pricked  in  with  a  needle. 

Now  let  us  return  to  the  day  when  the  other 
twin  boy  was  missing,  and  explain  who  were 
the  other  persons  spoken  of  at  Fort  Hill. 


ABOUND    THE   CAMP  FIRE,  169 

Estelle  was  the  daughter  of  Edmund  Griffith, 
who,  several  years  before  our  story  begins,  had 
left  civilization  and  plunged  into  the  forests  of  the 
Far  West,  in  search  of  adventure  and  of  fortune. 
He  was  living  in  what  was  called  ''  a  howling 
wilderness,"  but  which  to-day  is  dotted  with 
those  beautiful  towns  and  cities  along  the  Mo- 
hawk, the  Genesee,  and  the  Susquehanna. 

Estelle's  mother  had  died  when  she  was  an 
infant  and  knew  little  or  nothing  of  a  proud 
mother's  love  and  tenderness,  and  so  her  maternal 
aunt  had  the  little  one  adopted  into  her  own 
family. 

The  father  of  Estelle,  as  soon  as  her  mother 
was  dead,  left  the  banks  of  the  Yantic  river,  in 
Connecticut,  and  for  a  long  time  no  one  knew  what 
had  become  of  him.  Then,  about  that  time,  the 
twin  brother  of  Willie  was  seen  to  be  missing,  and 
after  a  vain  attempt  to  ascertain  his  whereabouts, 
it  was  concluded  that  the  poor  little  one  must  have 
strayed  to  the  river's  bank  and  got  drowned. 

As  time,  however,  rolled  along,  Estelle  had 
reached  her  sixteenth  year,  and  Walker,  the 
only  son  of  those  who  adopted  her,  had  already 
arrived  at  the  age  of  manhood.  He  had  joined 
some  fur  traders  under  the  advice  of  Mr.  Astor, 
who  was  the  prime  mover  and  most  influential 


170  BOEDER    TALES 

of  the  "North  American  Fur  Company."  He 
started  westward  in  hopes  of  winning  fame  and 
fortune,  hunting  with  the  French  Canadians  and 
the  Indians  along  the  St.  Lawrence  and  other 
rivers,  up  south  to  the  tributaries  of  the  Owasco 
and  Cayuga  lakes. 

He  suddenly  made  his  appearance  one  day  in 
his  eastern  home,  whither  his  steps  had  eagerly 
turned,  to  give  the  glad  tidings  that  Estelle's 
father  had  been  found  and  was  then  living  in 
the  west.  It  was  in  a  vast  forest  of  beeches 
on  the  western  shores  of  the  Owasco  that  he 
had  providentially  come  across  her  father,  who 
was  leading  somewhat  of  a  hermit's  life,  in  a  log 
cabin  lined  with  wolf  and  bear  skins. 

Walker  had  learned  from  Estelle's  father  that 
the  missing  orphan  had  been  carried  off  by  him, 
and  had  remained  with  him  as  a  constant  com- 
panion for  a  long  time,  until  at  last  he  had  been 
stolen  from  him  in  an  unguarded  moment,  while 
he  was  absent,  or  perhaps  had  been  devoured  by 
some  wild  beast  of  the  forest,  so  many  of  which 
had  a  habit  of  prowling  about  ready  to  devour 
man  or  beast,  if  once  secure  of  their  prey.  He 
searched  the  woods  for  a  long  time,  but  no  trace 
of  him  could  be  found.  When  this  happened, 
he  naturally  was  afraid  to  return  to  his  native 


AROUND    THE   CAMP   FIRE.  171 

place,  and  so  he  remained  buried  alive,  as  it 
were,  in  the  almost  desert  wilds  of  the  Owasco 
country. 

At  the  time  of  Walker's  return,  Williamson,  the 
sailor,  who  had  risen  to  be  a  captain*  in  the  Con- 
tinental Navy  service,  had  arrived  again  in  port 
and  heard  the  marvellous  story  of  Walker.  A  new 
feeling  wno  took  possession  of  his  breast;  one 
desire  only  animated  him,  and  that  was,  to  seek 
out  his  long-lost  brother.  He  would  see,  also, 
if  he  could  bring  back  Estelle's  father  to  his  old 
haunts  of  civilization. 

At  once  preparations  were  made  by  Captain 
Williamson  for  absence  on  his  cruiser,  the 
Butterjiy,  which  had  conveyed  them  by  the 
Long  Island  Sound,  through  Hurl  Gate  (a 
dangerous  place,  full  of  whirlpools  and  rocks), 
on  to  Manhatten  Island,  off  New  Amsterdam 
(now  New  York),  where  he  took  passage  to 
visit  the  new  settlements  on  the  shores  of  Lake 
Ontario. 

Here  the  real  development  of  my  story  begins 
to  unfold  itself.  Captain  Williamson  had  arrived 
at  the  fort,  and  formed  one  of  the  group  which 
were  gazing  at  the  medal. 

"  Ah,  yes  1"  said  he,  "  I  am  sure  it  must  be  my 
dear  brother,  for  though  I  have  not  seen  him 


172  BORDER    TALES 

since  we  were  little  shavers  together,  I  recognize 
the  token." 

''  And  I  am  sure  of  it,  too,"  said  Allen,  as  he 
took  out  his  knife  and  began  scraping  off  the 
wax  covering.  "  Didn't  I  tell  you  so  ?  There 
they  are,  both  engraved,  and  as  like  as  two  peas 
in  a  pod — '  Willie  Williamson '  on  this ;  '  Charlie 
Williamson '  on  that." 

The  black  must  needs  put  his  oar  in,  and  he 
declared  that  "just  as  sure  as  de  sun  shines  above, 
dey  bof  am  alike."  Negro-like,  he  grinned  from 
ear  to  ear  and  clapped  his  hands,  crowing  like  a 
rooster,  of  which  he  gave  a  first-rate  imitation. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

While  this  performance  was  being  enacted,  the 
Indians  stood  staring  in  amazement  at  the  scene, 
and  Sambo  fairly  danced  with  joy,  as  did  his 
friend  also,  full  of  glee  as  they  realized  the 
almost  miraculous  reunion  of  the  brothers ;  while 
Walker  looked  upon  the  twins  with  a  keen  relish, 
as  the  captain  seized  the  hand  of  his  long-lost 
brother,    and   they   fell   on    each   other's  neck. 


AROUND    THE   CAMP  FIRE.  173 

as  did  David  and  Jonathan,  and  kissed  each 
other. 

"Captain,"  said  Allen,  "it  was  not  my  fault 
that  that  likely  brother  of  yourn  didn't  bite  the 
dust,  when  I  gave  him  a  slight  wound,  for  I 
thought  he  was  as  much  an  Indian  as  the  copper- 
headed  fellows  he  was  leading  against  us." 

"  Yes,"  replied  the  brother,  "  it  was  a  lucky 
escape  indeed  for  him." 

"  You'd  have  worked  daylight  into  or  out  of 
him,  you  bet  ?"  said  the  darkey. 

"  No,  Ebony ;  it  would  have  been  pitch-dark 
very  soon  for  him,  if  he  hadn't  dodged  so  quickly 
behind  the  sapling." 

At  this  moment  the  tall,  muscular  native  came 
forward,  supporting  the  crippled  white  man  in 
disguise,  who  was  no  one  else  but  Le  Fort,  who 
figures  so  conspicuously  in  the  first  part  of  our 
story. 

"  My  dear  children  !  my  own  dear  boys  !  God 
bless  you !  We  are  united  now  again  at  last, 
never,  I  trust,  to  be  parted  while  we  live." 

"  What !"  exclaimed  old  Yankee  Allen,  "are  you 
indeed  the  father  of  these  two  boys  ?  You  know 
it  was  this  old  darkey  and  I  who  found  them  on 
that  wrecked  vessel  off"  the  shoals  of  Nantucket." 

"And  what  of    the    mother,    my  dear  wife? 


174  BOEDER    TALES 

Do  tell  me  at  once  what  has  become  of  her," 
gasped  Le  Fort. 

"  The  beautiful  woman  ?  Why,  we  laid  her 
away  at  rest  on  old  ocean's  bed,  to  sleep  the  sleep 
that  knows  no  waking  here." 

At  this  intelligence  Le  Fort  bowed  his  head  in 
grief,  for  he  had  hoped,  now  he  was  so  happy, 
that  his  wife  survived  her  voyage  to  fill  his  cup 
of  joy  to  the  full. 

"  Oh,  this  is  sad  indeed,  to  think  that  she  was 
cast  into  the  sea,  and  I  shall  never  behold  her 
sweet  face  again  ! " 

Allen  seemed  to  have  a  doubt  that  Le  Fort 
was  the  father  of  the  two  boys,  now  grown  to 
manhood,  and  asked  for  proofs  of  the  fact. 

But  the  captain  said,  "Enough,  my  friend,  if 
we  have  found  a  real  parent,  as  we  believe.  Why 
cast  a  cloud  over  new-found  happiness  ?  We  are 
waifs  from  the  perils  of  the  sea,  too  young  to 
know  the  authors  of  our  being." 

"The  handsome  lady  was  voyaging  to  the 
States  to  meet  her  husband,"  interrupted  Sambo, 
"  'cause  she  said  the  two  little  cubs  had  a  papa 
there,  jest  afore  she  breeved  away  her  last  bref " 

"Well,"  replied  Allen,  "if  indeed  this  boy  is 
your  son,  he's  as  noble  a  one  as  ever  trod  the 
deck  of  a  man-of-war.  But  who'd  have  thought 
of  finding  his  father  among  wild  savages  ?  " 


ABOUND    THE   CAMP  FIRE.  175 

Le  Fort,  having  recovered  his  surprise  on  thus 
suddenly  finding  his  sons,  whom  he  supposed  to 
have  perished  at  sea  with  their  mother,  at  once 
began  to  relate  how  it  was  he  became  separated 
for  a  while  from  his  family,  and  soon  all  doubts 
were  put  at  rest  as  to  his  being  indeed  the  father 
of  the  twins. 

He  was  born  in  France,  and  had  a  desire  to 
emigrate  to  Canada,  shortly  after  his  marriage. 
On  arriving  at  Quebec,  he  was  engaged  in  trading 
for  furs  and  peltry,  and  seeing  a  fair  prospect  of 
accumulating  a  fortune,  he  made  arrangements 
for  his  wife  to  join  him.  Judge  how  anxiously 
he  watched  for  the  vessel  that  should  bring  to 
him  his  earthly  treasures.  But  the  ship  was 
nearly  lost  in  a  storm,  and  the  only  persons 
saved  from  shipwreck  were  the  poor  wife  and 
her  two  children.  The  ship  did  not  founder  and 
go  down,  but  drifted  a  wreck  off  Nantucket 
shoals,  where  the  Dancing  Feather  fell  in  with 
it,  and  rescued  the  two  children. 

Le  Fort  was  his  assumed  name,  he  said,  the 
real  one  being  Williamson,  after  whom  his  wife 
had  named  the  two  boys.  Not  hearing  any 
tidings  of  the  vessel,  he  had  made  up  his  mind 
to  return  to  his  native  country,  and  leaving 
Canada,  he  went  back  to  Paris. 


176  BORDER    TALES 

There  he  soon  learned  that  the  vessel  had  un- 
doubtedly been  lost  at  sea,  and  again  he  returned 
to  America,  and  cojicluded  to  settle  among  the 
Hollanders  on  the  Hudson  river.  He  fell  in 
with  fur  traders,  and  often  acted  as  a  scout  and 
guide  to  the  trappers  back  and  forth  to  Canada 
among  the  French  settlers. 

At  the  time  of  our  parties  landing  where  he 
was,  near  Vanderheyden  s  landing  in  the  North 
river,  he  got  information  that  Van  Buren's  idea 
was  to  rob  them  if  he  could,  and  he  made  up  his 
mind  to  thwart  his  plans,  if  possible ;  so  he  quar- 
relled with  his  companion  to  find  out  the  truth 
of  the  matter. 

On  leaving  the  neighbourhood  so  suddenly,  he 
overtook  the  party  and  piloted  them  along  the 
Hudson  to  the  Mohawk  valley,  up  to  Onieda 
Castle  and  on  to  the  salt  springs  in  Onondaga, 
where  he  came  across  the  old  chief,  Thay-an-da- 
na-ga,  who  had  saved  his  life  once,  and  he  agreed 
to  stay  with  him  and  share  his  wigwam. 

While  sojourning  here,  a  young  Indian  came 
in  one  day,  and  brought  the  news  of  a  great 
slaughter  by  the  whites,  and  that  the  adopted 
son  of  the  chief  was  slain.  But  the  same  youth, 
who  had  been  so  kindly  cared  for  and  nursed  in 
illness  by  Estelle,  was  the   very  one  who  was 


AROUND    TEE   CAMP  FIRE,  177 

saved,  but  supposed  to  be  lost  for  ever  to  him. 
The  messenger  who  brought  the  news  said  he 
saw  him  lying  dead  on  Fort  Hill. 

At  once  the  chief,  set  out  with  this  young  fel- 
low as  guide  to  the  fort,  some  twenty-five  miles 
away  to  the  westward.  Then  it  was  that  Estelle, 
Bostwick,  Allen,  and  Bond  were  seized  and  bound, 
expecting  soon  to  be  slain.  But  the  young  son 
of  the  chief  interceded  to  save  them  if  he  possibly 
could. 

Finding  only  these  four  of  the  party  attacked, 
they  resolved  to  go  forth  and  capture  the  rest 
of  them  ;  that  is,  the  captain.  Walker,  and  Sambo, 
the  coloured  man.  When  Walker  and  the 
captain  left,  with  the  faithful  black  servant,  they 
were  in  search  of  old  Griffith,  but  were  unsuc- 
cessful ;  and  they  were  returning  to  Fort  Hill 
and  had  crossed  the  Owasco  outlet,  in  sight  of 
the  fort,  when  the  natives  surrounded  them  and 
made  them  all  prisoners.  But  fortunately  old 
Griffith  had  heard,  as  he  was  following  the  trail 
of  a  bear  in  the  forest,  that  some  whites  were 
captured,  and  he  resolved  to  go  and  see  who  they 
were,  and  perhaps  be  the  means  of  saving  the 
lives  of  some  strangers.  Little  did  he  dream  of 
finding  his  own  daughter  there  among  them, 
doomed  to  die  an  ignominous  and  cruel  death. 

N 


178  BORDER    TALES 

Some  time  before  this,  the  foster-son  of  the 
great  Onondaga  chief,  whom  Estelle  had  taken 
such  good  care  of,  discovered  that  he  had  lost  the 
keepsake  which  he  always  wore  near  his  heart, 
and  felt  very  sad  indeed  about  it. 

On  the  morning  the  party  was  brought  out, 
this  young  fellow  had  wandered  in  the  woods 
with  Le  Fort.  The  Indians  thought  to  seize 
the  opportunity,  in  the  absence  of  the  chief,  to 
suddenly  slay  their  prisoners,  as  needful  to  appease 
the  spirits  of  their  slain  comrades,  whose  souls 
were  waiting  an  entrance  to  the  happy  hunting 
grounds.  But  the  providential  return  of  Le  Fort 
baffled  their  hellish  designs,  just  as  they  were 
about  to  slay  them  with  their  arrows. 

They  had  fallen  in  with  old  Griffith  in  their 
ramblings,  and  he  at  once  returned  with  them. 
Time  had  passed  away,  however,  and  made  him 
forget  young  Williamson,  whom  he  had  brought 
with  him  from  the  river  Yantic,  in  Connecticut, 
as,  soon  after  he  had  hid  himself  in  the  wilderness, 
the  little  fellow  had  been  suddenly  surprised  by 
some  wild  Indians,  and  carried  off  he  knew  not 
where,  and  henceforth  had  heard  nothing  about 
him.  The  Chief  Brant,  as  the  English  called 
him,  had  lost  a  son  about  that  time,  and  he  con- 
cluded to  adopt  the  little  fellow  as  his  own. 


ABOUND    TEE  CAMP  FIBE.  179 

Some  time  afterwards,  Griffith,  while  hunting 
on  Fort  Hill,  lost  the  silver  token  which  he 
had  taken  from  the  child,  and  worn  himself 
among  his  other  Indian  trappings  about  his  neck. 
The  story  runs  that  he  lost  the  medal,  with 
strings  attached,  in  some  bushes,  and  when  the 
eagles  were  picking  up  twigs  with  which  to 
build  a  nest,  they  carried  it  up  with  grass  and 
leaves  to  the  limb  of  a  tree,  and  there  it  remained 
for  a  long  time,  till  found  by  the  captain. 

The  captain,  when  he  came  to  Fort  Hill,  had 
a  spy-glass  such  as  all  navy  vessels  carried  on 
the  ocean;  and  while  surveying  the  flocks  of 
wild  pigeons  which  were  flying  over,  something 
glittered  in  the  sunlight  among  the  chestnut 
trees.  His  curiosity  was  awakened,  and  he 
determined  to  climb  the  tree  and  see  what  it 
was  of  so  singular  a  nature  in  the  wilderness. 
What  a  wonderful  discovery,  to  be  sure !  It 
seemed  something  more  than  chance  or  good 
luck.  He  thought  it  was  providential,  for  he 
discovered  a  missing  link  carrying  him  back  to 
his  early  years.  Long  lost  indeed,  but  now  re- 
stored and  far  dearer  to  him  than  a  pot  of  gold ! 
On  showing  it  to  his  comrade  Allen,  he,  as  well 
as  the  black,  Sam,  at  once  recognized  it  as  be- 
longing to  one  of  the  twin  brothers. 


180  BORDER    TALES 


CHAPTER  X. 

The  wars  of  the  English  and  the  French,  and  so, 
too,  of  the  colonists  along  the  St.  Lawrence  and 
the  Hudson,  are  so  well  described  in  Cooper's 
novels,  that  we  have  no  need  to  speak  of  them  in 
detail  here.  The  Indian  tribes  called  the  Iroquois, 
or  Six  Nations,  were  very  much  mixed  up  with 
these  parties,  and  added  greatly  to  the  cruelties 
of  that  unholy  strife  of  that  early  day. 

The  French  general  of  the  forces  had  vowed 
to  exterminate  the  Six  Nations,  who  summoned 
a  large  grand  council,  when  war  to  the  knife 
was  decided  on  among  the  tribes.  They  were 
gathering  aU  their  warriors  to  repel  the  French 
and  the  Canadian  Indians,  who  were  coming 
against  them  across  the  St.  Lawrence  river. 

Le  Fort  had  learned  all  about  this  from  his 
chief;  so  aU  the  party  which  had  gathered 
together  on  Fort  HiU  agreed,  as  the  best  thing 
they  could  do,  to  set  forth  towards  their  former 
home  on  the  North  river,  far  below  Albany. 

Le  Fort  and  Walker,  however,  thought  best  to 


AROUND    THE   CAMP  FIRE.  181 

pay  a  visit  to  a  fur-trading  post  on  the  banks 
of  Lake  Ontario. 

So  the  twins,  now  united,  with  Walker  and 
Le  Fort,  started  on  their  journey  northward  to 
Oswego,  leaving  Estelle  with  old  Griffith,  Bond, 
Allen,  and  the  coloured  man,  who  was  good  com- 
pany and  a  safe  protector. 

The  Indians  had  nearly  all  scattered,  except  a 
few  who  were  dissatisfied,  and  who  ground  their 
teeth  in  rage  that  they  had  thus  been  cheated 
out  of  a  grand  "  pow-wow  "  and  death  of  their 
victims. 

Yankee  Allen  and  Sambo,  now  thoroughly 
disgusted  with  Indian  fighting,  were  not  slow 
to  set  their  faces  towards  the  rising  sun. 

"  What  would  I  just  give  to  be  on  board  the 
old  cruiser  Butterfly  once  more,"  said  Allen, 
"with  our  rations  of  grog  served  up  regularly 
twice  a  day  ? " 

"And  I  too,  massa;  and  when  we  all  jine 
ag'in  on  de  old  shores  of  de  noble  Hudson, 
we'll  h'ist  the  anchor  and  sail  away  on  de  broad 
ocean ! " 

"  I  tell  you,  Sam,"  said  the  other,  "  I  don't  like 
the  looks  of  these  Indians,  somehow.  They  re- 
mind me  of  the  Evil  One,  ready  to  seek  and 
devour  us,  and  when  we  least  expect  it." 


182  BORDER    TALES 

"  Golly,  I'm  of  de  same  'pinion,  and  I  wonder 
how  young  missus'  father  kep  from  being  killed. 
He  must  know  'em  pretty  well  by  dis  time  ? " 

They  thus  kept  up  each  other's  courage,  as  we 
say  children  do,  who  whistle  or  sing  in  the 
dark. 

Allen  declared  that  one  of  the  Indians  gave 
him  a  fierce  look,  just  as  he  was  about  to  stick 
a  knife  in  him  while  bound  to  the  tree,  when 
they  were  timely  rescued,  and  he  was  sure  if 
the  Indian  got  a  chance,  he  would  slake  his 
vengeance  in  taking  his  life. 

"  Well,  we'U  keep  our  eyes  skinned  then,"  said 
the  darkey,  "  and  you  no  catch  dis  child  asleep 
any  more  'n  3^ou  catch  a  weasel  asleep  ! " 

While  this  talk  was  going  on,  Estelle  and  her 
father  noticed  how  the  Indians  persisted  in 
hanging  round,  as  if  reluctant  to  go.  Griffith 
said  he  smelled  mischief  brewing,  and  he  told  his 
daughter  of  it ;  but  they  were  too  cautious  to 
betray  themselves  or  show  any  fear. 

The  Indians  pretended  to  be  engaged  only 
in  a  wrestling  match,  a  trial  of  skill,  tumbling 
one  another  upon  the  ground,  and  rolling  among 
the  dry  leaves,  much  to  the  amazement  of  Sambo 
and  AUen. 

Sambo  said  he  could  land  him  on  the  deck  if 


ABOUND    THE  CAMP  FIRE,  183 

on  board  of  ship,  pointing  to  the  very  lithe  form 
of  one  of  the  Indians.  The  Indian  understood 
the  gesture,  and  came  forward,  motioning  by 
signs  that  he  was  eager  for  a  trial,  if  the  black 
was  willing. 

"  Try  him,"  said  the  other,  ^  and  I'll  bet  you 
can  tumble  him  over  the  log  yonder.  If  you  do 
it,  I'll  give  you  a  plug  of  tobacco  and  an  extra 
grog  of  New  England  rum." 

At  once  they  joined  in  locking  arms,  and  it 
was  difficult  to  tell  which  was  proving  most 
skilful  for  a  while  in  dodging  each  the  other's 
feints  to  throw  the  other,  but  once  the  Indian 
lifted  Sambo  off  his  feet.  The  black,  who  knew  a 
trick  or  two,  and  what  was  called  the  knuckle, 
or  lock-knee  trick,  by  pushing  his  right  knee 
into  the  Indian's  left  leg  came  near  throwing  his 
antagonist,  but  both  feU  to  the  ground  together. 
This  drew  a  loud  laugh  from  all  the  Indians. 
This  was  declared  even,  and  Sambo  was  ready 
for  another  trial. 

"  Double  the  reward,"  said  his  backer,  *'  if  you 
fetch  him  this  time." 

Now  all  became  a  scene  of  excitement.  Sambo 
declared  he'd  make  him  measure  his  length  on 
the  ground ;  and  at  it  they  went  again,  holding 
each  other  at  arm's  length.    They  gazed  into  each 


184  BORDER    TALES 

other's  eyes  for  a  few  moments,  when  the  tall 
Indian  again  tried  to  lift  Sambo  off  his  feet ;  but 
his  move  was  detected,  and  Sambo  foiled  him. 
He  knew  his  enemy  lacked  wind,  for  he  was 
panting,  and  so  he  began  to  tire  him  out  by 
skirmishes,  till  by-and-by  he  made  a  powerful 
effort  and  threw  the  Indian  prone  to  the  ground, 
with  so  great  a  force  as  to  draw  from  him  a 
groan  of  pain. 

Allen  shouted  out, "  WeU  done,  old  boy  !  you  ve 
conquered ! " 

But  the  other  Indians  were  mad  at  this  defeat, 
and  setting  up  a  howl,  rushed  at  once  forward 
and  seized  the  black,  trying  to  throw  him  to  the 
ground. 

There  was  a  good  reason  why  they  had  chal- 
lenged the  black  to  this  conflict  of  skill  and 
strength. 


CHAPTER  XI. 

It  was  plain  to  the  whites  that  all  this  manoeu- 
vring on  the  part  of  the  Indians  meant  mischief. 
The  red  men  only  wanted  an  occasion  to  slake 


AROUND    THE   CAMP  FIRE,  185 

their  thirst  for  vengeance  in  the  blood  of  their 
white  foes,  and  so  they  made  their  discomfiture 
in  the  wrestling  match  a  pretence  for  picking  a 
quarrel. 

The  black  man  quickly  shook  himself  free,  but 
others  closed  in  upon  him.  Allen,  seeing  that  the 
black  was  holding  his  own  and  tumbling  the 
savages  one  over  another,  loudly  cheered  him ; 
but  Sambo  was  "getting  his  mad  up,"  as  he 
called  it,  seeing  they  were  disposed  to  pit  three 
or  four  upon  one.  With  an  almost  superhuman 
effort,  he  threw  two  of  them  to  the  ground,  and 
drawing  back  a  few  paces,  declared  he  would 
fight  the,  whole  of  the  crew,  if  they  didn't  let 
him  alone. 

Allen,  above  the  savage  yells  of  the  Indians, 
bade  them  "hold  off ! "  or  he  would  harm  some  of 
them.  He  might  as  well  have  whistled  to  the 
wind,  or,  as  one  said,  "have  sung  psalms  to  a 
dead  horse  1 "  All  of  them,  full  of  anger  at  their 
disappointment,  made  a  dash  upon  the  black  at 
once,  determined  to  seize  him. 

"I'U  stand  by  you,"  said  Allen.  "If  they  touch 
a  lock  of  your  wool,  I  will  give  them  'Hail, 
Columbia!'" 

The  struggle  now  became  intense,  and  it 
seemed  doubtful  which  would  win.    Allen  gave  a 


186  BORDEB    TALES 

powerful  Indian  a  blow  which  sent  him  a  kiting, 
head  over  heels.  Then  half  a  dozen  sprang  upon 
the  brave  man,  and  he  had  to  yield,  as  they 
secured  him  with  thongs  and  bound  him  fast. 
Next  came  the  black's  time,  and  after  he  had 
felled  one  or  two,  he  was  overpowered  and  bound 
likewise. 

Then,  in  turn,  came  old  Griffith  out  of  the  tent, 
agitated  with  fear,  not  for  himself,  but  for  his 
lovely  daughter.  At  once  he  ran  in  among 
them,  and  tried  to  calm  and  quiet  the  frenzied 
Indians,  but  he  too  might  as  well  have  asked  the 
Falls  of  Niagara  to  stop  their  deafening  roar. 
They,  in  their  excitement,  were  deaf  to  all 
entreaty. 

He  turned  back  to  where  Estelle  was,  to  see 
how  best  he  could  protect  her.  In  her  fright  she 
had  fallen  down  in  a  swoon,  and  was  deadly  pale. 
Her  father  thought  she  was  dying  or  dead,  and  he 
burst  out  in  tones  of  lamentation,  praying  God 
to  spare  his  dear  child. 

He  bore  her  to  the  air,  and  was  met  at  the  tent 
door  by  two  or  three  Indians  howling  like  fiends. 
But  the  sight  of  the  poor  girl,  pale  and  almost 
lifeless,  made  them  halt;  for  death,  or  its  sem- 
blance, is  alike  appalling  to  all  human  beings, 
and  even  animals  and  domestic  birds  are  startled 


ABOUND    THE   CAMP  FIRE.  187 

and  moved  at  sight  of  one  of  their  dead.* 
Estelle's  hand  was  resting  upon  the  old  man's 
shoulder,  and  her  long  hair  hung  down  in  wavy 
folds,  nearly  to  the  ground,  while  her  face  was 
as  white  and  transparent  as  Parian  marble. 

Not  minding  them,  the  old  man  was  bearing 
his  precious  charge  along,  to  bathe  her  head  at 
a  spring  of  water  close  by.  The  Indians,  re- 
covering from  their  surprise,  at  once  tore  her 
from  the  old  man  and  bore  her  away,  while  they 
tied  her  father  fast  to  the  ground  upon  his  back. 
As  soon  as  they  had  carried  their  victim  a  few 
rods  off,  they  shouted  in  triumph. 

The  men  prisoners  were  at  a  loss  to  know 
what  next  would  turn  up,  in  the  misfortune 
they  had  met  with,  and  could  only  wait  with 
patience,  as  best  they  could,  for  some  new  de- 
velopment. Allen  said  the  silence  was  awful. 
"Give  me  anything  but  suspense,"  added  he. 
"  I  wonder  what  next  they  will  do  ? "  Each  one 
had  an  opinion  to  give,  and  all  concluded  that  the 
chief  having  gone  away,  they  would  certainly  be 
put  to  death. 

*  Persons  may  donbt  this,  thinking  the  birds  and  brute 
creation  are  dnmb  animals  and  have  not  reasoning  powers. 
But  let  any  one  kill  a  fowl  or  chicken  by  cutting  off  its  head, 
and  if  blood  is  seen  by  the  live  fowls  they  show  signs  of  being 
frightened,  and  set  up  a  noise,  perhaps  saying  one  to  another, 
**  How  barbarous  to  kill  one  of  our  family  !  " 


188  BORDER    TALES 

But  none  were  braver  than  the  darkey.  He 
said,  "I  s'pose  my  'pinion  ain't  of  much  ac- 
count, any  way  1  A  live  nigger  arn't  wofF  much  ; 
much  more  a  dead  one  !  They  can't  kill  me 
but  once,  and  a  beating  don't  last  long." 

Strange  how  a  little  burst  of  humour,  even  in 
danger,  seems  to  cheer  up  companions  in  misery. 
One  cracked  his  jokes  on  the  poor  blacky,  telling 
him  that  the  savages  might,  just  as  likely  as  not, 
raise  his  hair  (meaning  a  scalping  of  his  wool). 
The  chances  of  his  escaping  this  painful  opera- 
tion were  ten  to  one  in  his  favour,  as  the  Indians 
might,  possibly,  appropriate  Sam  to  themselves, 
to  be  of  service  in  helping  them  to  preserve  their 
game  of  dried  venison  for  the  winter.  Sam 
said  he  would  like  to  be  their  cook  for  a  day 
or  two.  Not  that  they  would  appreciate  his 
skill  in  getting  up  a  good  dinner ;  but  he  would 
like  to  put  in  some  ingredients,  such  as  wild 
parsnips  in  their  broth ;  but  they  would  not  need 
any  more  soup,  he  said,  this  side  of  their  happy 
hunting  grounds. 

As  night  drew  on,  they  became  resigned  to 
their  fate,  believing  that  they  were  as  well  pre- 
pared to  die  now  as  at  any  time,  and  each 
believing  also  that  they  had  done  right  in  killing 
their  enemies,  who  had  tried  to  kill  them.     And 


AROUND    THE   CAMP  FIRE.  189 

thus  it  was  they  beguiled  the  weary  hours  of  the 
the  evening,  and  sank  into  a  quiet  repose. 


CHAPTER   XII. 

But  sleep,  sweet  as  it  is  to  the  weary,  was  not 
undisturbed  in  the  tent  on  Fort  Hill.  About 
midnight,  Griffith  started  to  get  on  his  feet,  at 
the  sound  of  a  piercing  cry,  but  was  fast  tied 
down  by  the  thongs  which  encircled  his  wrists 
and  ankles.     "  What  is  that  ? "  he  exclaimed. 

This  roused  the  black  out  of  a  deep  sleep,  and 
he  cried  out, "  Fire  de  Lord,  de  debbils  are  coming, 
sure  enough ! " 

"  Hush  I  you  lubber,"  cried  Allen ;  "  it's  only  a 
panther  or  night  owl.  Indians  do  not  slaughter 
their  victims  in  the  dark ;  they  prefer  the  day- 
light, when  they  can  see  and  enjoy  the  writhings 
of  their  dying  victims." 

Sambo,  in  his  struggle  to  meet  the  "debbil," 
as  he  supposed,  had  succeeded  in  getting  one 
of  his  paws  loose,  and  asked  one  of  his  com- 
panions in  trouble  for  a  knife,  so  as  to  set  himself 
entirely  free.     He  put  his  hand  into  old  Griffith's 


190  BOEDER    TALES 

pocket  and  drew  out  a  knife,  with  which  he 
proceeded  to  cut  the  bonds  of  all,  and  set  them 
free.  The  old  man  bade  them  remain  perfectly 
quiet. 

At  nightfall,  the  Indians  made  a  fire  to  cook 
some  squirrels,  and  after  setting  a  guard  to  watch 
the  prisoners,  they  proceeded  to  devour  their 
evening  meal. 

Let  us  see  what  had  become  of  the  frightened 
Estelle.  After  the  sortie,  she  was  separated 
from  her  friends  and  carried  down  into  a  glen, 
just  where  one  visiting  the  place  will  find  the 
tomb  of  New  York's  favourite  son,  who  was  a 
governor  of  the  State,  and  afterwards  a  senator 
and  member  of  the  cabinet  of  the  President. 
Here  rude  wigwams  had  been  constructed  by 
the  savages,  and  into  one  of  them  she  was  con- 
veyed. 

One  can  hardly  imagine  what  fearful  thoughts 
came  into  her  mind,  as  she  reflected  upon  the 
chance  of  a  cruel  fate  awaiting  her  and  her 
father !  Ah,  yes  !  and  perhaps  a  lover,  too, 
was  in  her  mind,  whom  she  was  never  again 
to  behold. 

It  was  while  thinking  of  her  sad  condition 
that  she  espied  a  light,  and  a  savage  approached, 
bearing  in  his   hand  a  lighted  pine-knot.      He 


AROUND    THE  CAMP  FIRE,  191 

stood  over  her  for  a  moment,  and  on  her  opening 
her  eyes,  he  addressed  her  in  broken  English. 
This  was  a  surprise  indeed. 

She  said  to  him,  "  Have  you  come  to  kill  me  ? 
If  so,  pray  be  merciful." 

''  No,"  he  said ;  "  I  am  come  to  save  you,  I 
am  one  whom  chance  has  sent  to  release  you 
and  all  your  friends." 

"  Ah !  can  you  ?  will  you  ?  "  she  exclaimed,  as 
hope  now  began  to  animate  her  breast. 

"  I  can,  and  will,  as  sure  as  the  Great  Spirit 
lives!" 

''  And  my  father  and  his  companions,  too  ? " 

"  All  but  one,"  he  replied.  ''  The  council  have 
decided  that  one  of  them  must  die.  He  has 
slain  so  many  of  the  red  men  that  his  life  is 
forfeit ;  he  cannot  escape." 

She  knew  at  once  whom  he  meant — it  was 
Bond. 

"  The  good  Lord  be  with  him  ! "  she  ejaculated. 
"But  why  cannot  you  save  him,  if  you  will? 
He  slew  others  only  in  self-defence." 

"  You  know  not  the  laws  of  Indian  warfare," 
he  replied. 

"Sure,  he  will  be  saved.  It  is  hard  to  die 
here  in  the  wilderness,  and  be  buried  far  from 
kindred  and  friends." 


192  BOEDER   TALES 

"  I  cannot  answer  that/'  said  he. 

Estelle  resolved  that  she,  too,  must  die,  if  her 
father  must  end  his  days.  And  the  savage, 
seeing  how  sorrowful  she  looked,  said  he  would 
do  all  in  his  power  for  her,  and  then  left  the 
wigwam. 

The  night  passed  away,  while  hope  and  fear 
alternated  in  her  mind;  at  length  daylight  ap- 
peared. Of  the  rest,  none  had  slept  more  soundly 
than  Bond — the  most  to  be  pitied  of  all ;  for  he 
had  made  up  his  mind,  he  said,  "  to  die  game." 

Soon  all  were  startled  by  a  loud  outcry  of  the 
natives.  Something  had  happened,  but  they 
knew  not  what  it  was.  The  old  man  looked, 
and  saw  something  was  engaging  them  besides 
their  prisoners.  It  was  evident  that  the  Indians 
were  preparing  for  an  attack  from  some  foes 
outside  the  fort. 

Sambo  was  the  first  to  discover  the  barking  of 
a  dog,  and  he  knew  it  meant  something  ominous. 
"  Do  you  hear  that,  massa  ?  "  said  he. 

"  Yes,"  one  replied ;  "  that's  old  Bose,  sure  as 
you  live."  Another,  "  That's  the  captain's  dog — 
they  have  returned." 

All  at  once  the  savages  rushed  into  the  tent, 
with  tomahawks  and  knives  uplifted  to  slay 
their  prisoners.     They  had  expected  to  find  their 


AROUND    THE  CAMP  FIRE.  193 

prisoners  fast  bound,  as  they  had  left  them; 
but  suddenly  they  all  rose  to  their  feet,  and  one 
seized  a  pole  close  at  hand,  with  which  he  kept 
them  at  bay.  Realizing  that  the  French  had 
attacked  the  savages  outside,  they  saw  hope 
dawning  upon  them  once  more,  if  they  could 
defend  themselves  till  rescued.  The  black,  with 
a  club,  knocked  over  one  Indian,  and  seizing  his 
tomahawk,  made  quick  work  in  despatching 
him. 

The  natives,  thus  baffled,  had  to  beat  a  sudden 
retreat ;  and  at  once  in  rushed  a  lot  of  armed 
men,  led  on  by  Le  Fort,  Walker,  and  the  twin 
brothers,  who  had  arrived  just  in  the  nick  of 
time  to  save  them. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

The  sudden  delivery  from  the  very  jaws  of  death 
is  what  few  experience  in  life  where  such  dangers 
threaten,  especially  on  battle-fields  or  far  away 
from  civilization.  All  were  suddenly  raised  from 
the  depths  of  despair  to  a  longer  lease  of  life ; 
and,  let  us  hope,  their  hearts  beat  lively,  if  their 

0 


194  BOBDER    TALES 

lips  did  not  express  it,  with  gratitude  to  "the 
Giver  of  every  good  and  perfect  gift "  for  their 
safety. 

It  was  said  that  the  darkey  indulged  in  quite 
an  eloquent  oration  over  the  dead  form  of  the 
savage  whom  he  had  slain.  He  said,  "  You  was 
mighty  'cute,  old  Injun,  now  warn't  you,  comin' 
in  here  widout  knocking,  into  our  sleepin'  apart- 
ments ?  Perhaps,  old  fellow,  your  mother  never 
tole  you,  '  First  catch  your  fish  afore  you  cooks 
'em  ! '  Nebber  mind,  old  chap,  I'll  gib  you  a 
decent  funeral ;  and  mebbe  de  crows'll  come  and 
sing  a  hymn  ober  your  grave."  Sam  had  heard, 
evidently,  of  the  old  story  of  "Cock  Robin," 
where  one  of  the  birds  promised  to  be  "  the 
parson,"  but  wasn't  a  crow  by  any  means.  Then 
he  gave  a  kick  at  the  Indian's  shins  in  perfect 
disgust. 

The  scenes  here  recorded  were  of  only  a  few 
moments'  duration,  but  how  all  was  changed  for 
them !  It  often  takes  longer  to  tell  of  a  battle 
than  it  does  to  fight  it. 

It  must  not  be  supposed  that  the  twin  brothers 
were  long  in  asking  after  Estelle.  Both  in  one 
breath  demanded  of  Griffith  where  she  was. 
"  The  good  Lord  only  knows,"  were  all  the  words 
he  could  utter.     But  recovering,  he  added,  "  The 


ABOUND    THE   CAMP  FIRE,  195 

savages  rose  upon  us  yesterday,  and  we  had  to 
submit.  They  carried  off  my  child,  and  she  may 
be  dead  for  aught  I  know." 

"  Which  way  went  they  ?  "  asked  the  captain, 
while  his  brother  ran  out  of  the  tent  the  way 
the  Indians  had  retreated. 

"  There's  no  use  chasing  them,"  said  Allen ; 
"they're  miles  away  by  this  time  towards  the 
Cayuga." 

The  unfortunate  girl  had  gotten  into  a  quiet 
repose,  when  she  heard  the  yells  of  the  demon 
savages  outside  her  cabin  door.  She  had  just 
time  to  rise,  when  five  or  six  rushed  in,  still 
howling,  and  at  the  sight  of  them  she  fell  in  a 
swoon  upon  the  ground,  feeling  that  now  her 
time  had  come.  When  she  came  to,  she  found 
that  she  was  being  carried  away  by  the  young 
Indian  who  had  visited  her  on  the  previous 
evening  and  promised  to  save  her. 

"  Alas  !  "  she  exclaimed,  "  where  am  I  ? " 

"  Safe  with  one  who  will  not  harm  you ;  not 
a  hair  of  your  head." 

"  But  father— where  is  he  ?  " 

"  Safe.     They  are  all  gone — fled  far  away." 

Soon  she  heard  footsteps  approaching,  and  she 
gladly  beheld  the  form  of  the  twin  brother  Charlie. 
Then  she  knelt  on  one  knee,  and  thanked  the 


196  BORDER    TALES 

good  Lord  for  her  deliverance  from  the  very 
jaws  of  death. 

Charlie  rapidly  informed  her  of  himself  and 
party ;  how  they  had  met  some  French  soldiers, 
and  how  they  had  scattered  the  Indians  in  time 
to  save  her  father  and  all,  with  the  black  man. 
No  wonder  her  heart  beat  with  lively  emotions 
on  beholding  him  whose  life  she  had  saved. 

They  soon  retraced  their  steps  to  the  fort,  where 
they  were  surrounded  by  the  released  prisoners, 
Le  Fort,  her  father,  and  the  rest  of  them.  Here 
was  a  new  revelation  as  the  party  met.  It  goes 
back  to  our  first  chapter. 

"My  eyes!"  exclaimed  Le  Fort,  '' Diedrich, 
you  here  !  Where,  in  the  name  of  all  that's 
good,  did  you  come  from  ? " 

"Why,  of  course,  from  the  Hudson  river.  Where 
else  could  I  come  from  ?  Dick  Van  Buren  is 
dead — your  enemy,  who  hated  you  so,  and  would 
have  killed  you  most  certainly — was  drowned 
while  trying  to  swim  across  the  Mohawk. 
Chance  has  brought  me  here  to  save  the  life 
of  this  young  lady,  who  is  a  real  angel." 

Le  Fort  looked  upon  his  twin  boys  with  a 
manly  pride,  as  he  thought  how  mercifully  they 
had  been  rescued  from  a  watery  grave. 

The  query  of  the  black  man  was  put  to  the 


AROUND    THE  CAMP  FIRE,  197 

leader,  as  to  their  exodus  out  of  the  wilderness 
into  "the  Lord's  Country,"  as  he  called  civili- 
zation in  the  eastern  part  of  New  York. 

After  a  hearty  supper  on  venison,  trout  fresh 
from  the  lake,  and  good  coffee,  a  council  was 
held,  and  the  captain  said  the  next  morning, 
bright  and  early,  they  would  set  their  faces  home- 
ward. At  sound  of  these  stirring  words,  Sambo 
threw  a  somersault  and  danced  as  he  never  did 
before,  declaring  he  was  never  so  happy  in  his 
life. 

That  night  they  all  slept  as  sound  as  roaches, 
nothing  being  near  to  make  them  afraid. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

The  dangers  to  which  Estelle  had  been  exposed, 
added  to  the  fatigue  she  had  borne,  were  enough 
to  make  her  look  old  and  drive  away  the  rose 
colour  of  her  cheeks.  For  it  has  often  happened 
that  men  and  women  have  had  their  hair  turn 
almost  white  in  a  few  hours  through  a  great 
sorrow  or  sudden  fear.  But  though  her  features 
were  assuming  a  womanly  touch,  she  looked,  in 


198  BORDER    TALES 

the  eyes  of  that  party,  as  a  queen  of  beauty, 
for  all  admired  her,  while  at  least  one  must  have 
her.  Perhaps  it  was  one  of  the  twin  brothers  ? 
We  shall  see.  Her  father,  too,  was  justly  proud 
of  her,  and  looked  with  pride  upon  the  twin 
brothers,  as  they  both  seemed  to  vie  with  each 
other  in  paying  her  every  attention. 

Among  the  French  party  who  came  in  time 
to  release  the  prisoners  was  a  French  officer 
named  La  Valliet ;  he  too  became  a  suitor  of  the 
fair  American  girl.  This  is  a  habit  with  a  good 
many  gallant  Frenchmen,  who  manage  to  fall 
in  love  with  our  beautiful  countrywomen,  de- 
claring that  none  in  the  world  can  surpass  the 
handsome  American  girls.  There  was  an  ex- 
cuse, too,  for  it  was  novel  and  romantic  to  find 
one  so  gifted  in  mind  and  beautiful  in  appear- 
ance as  Estelle,  who  might  have  been  compared 
to  a  rose  in  the  desert.  The  French  officer 
declared  she  was  as  pretty  as  a  fairy,  and  that 
he  adored  her.  He  had  seen  belles  and  women 
in  Paris  in  ball-rooms  and  at  parties ;  but  here 
she  shone  brightly  among  nature's  charms,  and 
that,  too,  with  little  beside  nature's  adorning. 
He  was  continually  speaking  of  her  as  a  floral 
gem  that  would  shine  in  .Paris,  at  the  French 
court,  if  transplanted  on  French  soil.     But  he 


AROUND    TEE  CAMP  FIRE,  199 

was  cautioned  to  beware  how  he  let  his  affec- 
tions become  entangled,  as  one  of  the  young 
Americo-French  twins,  whose  life  she  had  saved 
in  the  forest,  was  her  favoured  suitor.  But, 
French-like,  he  could  not  imagine  that  a  tawny 
young  man,  habited  in  Indian  costume  of  buck- 
skin and  leggings,  could  stand  any  chance  with 
him  if  he  urged  his  suit.  Then  he  became 
jealous,  and  resolved  he  would  win  her  in  spite 
of  any  one. 

Le  Fort  and  his  friends  had  made  up  their 
minds,  as  stated,  to  begin  their  journey  before 
the  French  should  commence  their  great  battle 
with  the  Indians,  for  this  might  delay  their 
journey  eastward. 

It  was  known  that  the  Indians  had  been 
gathering  at  Onondaga  Hill  to  attack  the 
French,  and  they  chose  Fort  Hill  as  a  safe  de- 
fence to  abide  in  and  await  an  attack  from  the 
Onondagas  and  Cayugas.  They,  however,  pro- 
vided an  escort  of  a  few  armed  men,  under  La 
Valliet,  which  soon  set  out,  skirting  the  shore  of 
the  Skaneatedes  Lake.  Thus  they  could  recon- 
noitre the  position  of  the  Indians,  and  report 
to  their  commander;  and  thus  he  had  oppor- 
tunities which  he  could  avail  himself  of  to  let 
Estelle  know  how  violently  he  was  in  love 
with  her. 


200  BORDER    TALES 

La  Valliet  told  the  twin  brothers  of  the  com- 
mission committed  to  him,  and  how  he  was 
willing  to  be  the  escort  of  the  party.  They 
replied  that  they  were  obliged  to  him  indeed, 
but  they  really  feared  no  danger.  But  he  was 
determined  to  go  in  the  same  direction,  and 
they  could  not  well  get  rid  of  him. 

The  first  halt  in  their  journey  was  at  the  salt 
springs.  Charlie  was  consulted  'by  the  French- 
man as  to  his  knowledge  of  the  various  tribes 
he  had  met.  He  bore  testimony  to  the  courage, 
bravery,  and  skill  of  all  the  tribes  of  the  Six 
Nations  among  whom  he  had  visited,  and  he  pro- 
phesied long  and  cruel  warfare  before  they  could 
be  subdued,  if  at  all.  But  La  Valliet  thought 
that  this  caution  reflected  upon  the  valour  of 
the  French,  imagining  the  savages  to  be  only 
brutes,  with  instincts,  but  hardly  gifted  with 
reasoning  faculties.  He  even  went  so  far  as  to 
call  his  companion  a  half-civilized  person.  The 
youth  flashed  a  look  of  indignation  in  return 
for  this  insult,  and  felt  tempted  to  draw  his 
knife;  but  he  kept  cool,  saying,  "Perhaps  you 
had  better  try  me." 

This  sudden  outburst  of  passion  startled  the 
rest  of  the  officers,  as  the  young  man  moved 
away. 


AROUND    THE   CAMP  FIRE.  201 

''Ah/'  said  the  Frenchman,  ''you  no  get  off 
in  that  way.     I  shall  chastise  you,  I  shall." 

The  reply  he  got  was  this :  "  You  call  your- 
selves the  Grand  Nation.  If  you  want  my  opinion 
of  an  average  Frenchman,  Td  say  he's  a  cross 
between  a  tiger  and  a  monkey ;  so  put  that  in 
your  pipe  and  smoke  it,  if  you  like." 

The  Frenchman  had  fought  duels  at  home,  and 
his  rank  would  suffer  in  reputation  if  he  did  not 
resent  an  insult,  even  from  a  civilian.  All  this 
trouble  was  the  effect  of  bad  temper,  added  to  La 
Valliet's  fit  of  jealousy. 

Charlie  did  not  think  he  would  show  any 
pluck,  but  he  was  mistaken,  for  La  Valliet  at 
once  followed  him — to  "  settle  their  hash,"  as 
Sambo  called  it. 


CHAPTER  XV. 

Ned  had  not  gone  far  from  the  presence  of  the 
French  commander,  when  he  met  old  Allen,  the 
sailor,  and  at  once  informed  him  that  a  storm 
was  brewing  between  himself  and  the  French 
captain,  who  now  came  up  and  demanded  what 


202  BORDER   TALES 

he  wanted.  At  this  Allen  spoke  up  and  said, 
"  Perhaps  my  room  here  is  better  than  my  com- 
pany ? " 

"  No/'  replied  his  friend.  ''  This  fellow  has 
used  language  personally  insulting  to  myself,  and 
he  must  retract  it." 

"  Hold ! "  said  Allen,  turning  to  the  Frenchman, 
"  I  rescued  this  boy  from  a  watery  grave,  and  I'll 
see  fair  play,  you  may  depend  upon  it." 

"  I  do  not  know  you,  sir,"  said  the  Frenchman. 
"  Who  are  you  ? " 

"  Well,  I  am  an  old  salt,  a  tar,  if  you  want  to 
know,  and  can  pitch  such  chaps  as  you  into  the 
middle  of  next  week,  if  occasion  should  offer.  I'd 
like  to  know  who  yon  are  ? " 

"  Sir,"  said  he,  drawing  himself  up,  ''  I  serve 
the  King  of  France,  and  I  find  it  necessary  to 
chastise  some  of  these  Americans,  who  have  no 
royal  blood  in  them." 

"  Ho,  ho  !  "  replied  the  tar,  "  here's  a  go.  I  hap- 
pened to  be  at  the  battle  of  Tripoli  and  Algiers, 
and  the  way  I  laid  the  cat-o'-nine  tails  over  those 
refractory  Turks  couldn't  be  beat.  Besides,  I've 
whipped  a  live  catamount — chased  a  black  bear 
through  the  woods,  and  when  the  old  customer 
got  on  top  of  a  log,  I  caught  him  by  the  tail,  till 
he  growled  at  me  and  I  let  him  go.     I  was  with 


AROUND    THE  CAMP  FIRE,  203 

General  Putnam  when  he  stole  two  cubs  from 
that  cave  and  made  a  successful  retreat." 

While  this  parley  was  going  on,  the  rest  of  the 
officers,  with  Le  Fort,  father  of  the  youth  in- 
sulted, drew  near,  and  demanded  what  it  all 
meant. 

La  Valliet  seemed  to  wish  to  avoid  his  com- 
panions, and  speaking  a  few  words  in  a  low  tone, 
walked  off,  followed  by  Charlie. 

The  officers  who  remained  with  Charlie's  friends 
said  to  William  (the  captain  twin  brother),  "  Blood 
will  have  to  be  shed,  according  to  our  French  code 
of  honour,  for  your  brother's  language  was  very 
irritating," 

"Well,  so  be  it,"  replied  the  other;  "my 
brother  is  plucky  and  will  not  shirk  the  conse- 
quences." 

''  If  he  should,"  said  Allen, "  I  am  an  old  seaman 
and  will  take  his  place." 

"  Never  mind,"  said  the  captain.  ''  I'll  answer 
for  him ;  he's  not  a  drop  of  a  coward's  blood  in 
his  whole  skin." 

Le  Fort,  feeling  all  a  parent's  anxiety,  was  bent 
on  interfering,  for  he  loved  his  new-found  son  too 
well  to  run  any  risk  of  losing  him.  So  he  rushed 
forward,  followed  by  the  darkey,  and  they  soon 
heard  the  sound  of  blows  at  a  short  distance  from 


204  BORDER    TALES 

them.  Sam  was  the  first  to  find  the  couple,  and 
he  stopped  short  on  beholding  them,  as  they 
were  fighting  desperately. 

The  black  cheered  his  master  on,  and  was 
more  than  half  inclined  to  have  a  hand  in  him- 
self, but  that  would  never  do.  It  seemed  as 
though  one  or  both  must  die,  as  their  knives 
glittered  in  the  light  of  the  moon. 

Le  Fort  rushed  forward  as  though  he  would 
stand  between  them,  but  they  were  too  close 
together,  and  he  demanded  of  them  to  desist. 
But  it  was  too  late ;  La  Valliet  had  received  a 
wound,  and  fell  as  if  lifeless  to  the  earth. 

Then  Estelle,  having  an  inkling  of  what  was 
going  on,  came  upon  the  scene,  just  as  the  French 
officer  fell,  when  she  saw  that  her  lover  was  also 
wounded,  and  at  sight  of  his  blood  fell  down  in 
a  fainting  fit. 

The  companions  of  La  Valliet  soon  gathered 
some  sticks,  formed  a  litter,  and  bore  him  away 
to  their  quarters. 

Ned  was  not  badly  wounded — only  some  cuts 
on  his  arms  which  would  be  scars  for  life  in 
what  he  called  "  an  honourable  warfare." 

On  the  other  hand,  Allen  and  the  black  were 
exultant,  showing  their  approval  in  an  amusing 
way,  because  their  side  had  triumphed. 


AROUND    THE   CAMP  FIBE.  205 

"  CufFee  !  "  said  Allen,  "  what  do  you  think  of 
onr  brave  boy  ?  He  hasn't  shown  the  white 
feather,  as  Mons.  Crapean  thought  he  would, 
eh?" 

"  Not  much,"  replied  the  ebony  sailor,  as  he 
showed  his  white  ivory  teeth,  grinning  like  a 
''Cheshire  cat."  "Gorra,  massa,  how  he  did  let 
daylight  into  him  !  He  no  more  eat  frog  s  legs 
for  he  supper." 

But  let  us  not  be  too  cruel.  He  was  in  love 
with  Estelle  and  may  be  pardoned  for  picking  a 
quarrel.  We  all  know  how  many  great  wars 
have  grown  out  of  the  troubles  in  which  women 
have  had  a  hand.  The  spilling  of  a  glass  of  wine 
on  a  queen's  dress  caused  a  war  of  great  magni- 
tude ;  and  to  the  Empress  Eugenie  is  attributed 
Napoleon's  declaring  war  with  Germany. 

The  surgeon  who  belonged  to  the  expedition 
carefully  examined  the  wounds  and  dressed  them. 
All,  even  the  Americans,  were  glad  to  learn  that 
they  would  not  prove  fatal. 

The  next  day,  it  was  agreed,  was  to  be  their 
last  in  the  Far  West,  and  so  they  retired  early  to 
their  bivouac  fires,  to  start  with  the  early  dawn. 


206  BORDER    TALES 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

At  midnight  Griffith  awoke  and  took  a  look  out 
of  the  door  of  the  tent  where  his  dear  child 
Estelle  was  sleeping.  He  saw  the  two  sentinels 
meet  on  their  rounds  and  cry,  "  All's  well ! " 
From  the  head-quarters  of  the  commander  he 
could  see  a  light  burning,  for  La  Yalliet  was 
lying  in  a  feverish  state,  cursing  now  and  then 
"  the  Yankee,"  as  if  his  mind  was  still  dwelling 
on  the  awful  conflict.  Griffith's  tent  was  only  a 
few  rods  from  the  place  where  others  of  the  party 
had  sought  shelter  under  an  old  Indian  wiekup. 
He  carefully  looked  into  it  to  see  if  all  was  as  it 
should  be.  He  found  Allen  and  the  black  man 
wide  awake  and  spinning  yams  of  olden  times 
on  the  Hudson. 

By-and-by  Sambo  started  up  and  exclaimed, 
"  What  dat  dur  ?  Massa,  didn't  you  hear  a 
noise  ? " 

"  No ;  all  I  hear  is  a  tree-toad,  which  always 
makes  that  noise  when  it's  going  to  rain.  I  did 
hear  a  whip-poor-will  a  few  moments  ago." 

All  of  a  sudden,  the  reports  of  two  pistols  were 


ABOUND    TEE   CAMP  FIRE,  207 

heard  near  the  French  camp,  and  this  was  fol- 
lowed as  usual  by  those  yells  which,  once  heard 
from  savage  throats,  can  never  be  mistaken  or 
forgotten.  It  is  the  cry  of  fell  revenge,  and 
means  death  without  mercy.  The  Indians  were 
almost  as  thick  as  leaves,  as  Sambo  said ;  they 
seemed  to  swarm  like  bees  around  the  French, 
after  picking  off  the  sentinels,  so  near,  and  yet 
no  previous  alarm  had  been  given  of  their  ap- 
proach. 

The  wily  savages  had  adopted  a  new  plan  to 
pick  off  the  sentinels.  In  the  woods  were  wild 
hogs  running  about,  and  the  Indians  and  whites 
were  glad  to  hunt  and  kill  them  for  a  good  roast. 
Well,  two  of  the  Indians,  in  the  darkness  which 
followed  when  the  moon  passed  under  a  cloud, 
crawled  up  softly  and  stealthily  among  the 
leaves,  on  their  bellies,  quite  up  to  the  guards, 
grunting  like  the  pigs,  and  thus  deceived  them ! 
The  soldiers  rushed  out  of  their  shelter,  and,  in 
the  confusion  of  the  moment,  many  of  them  were 
slain  by  the  infuriated  savages.  The  war-paint 
on  their  faces  indicated  a  determination  to  ex- 
terminate their  foes. 

The  French  had  gone  to  their  slumbers  little 
dreaming  of  what  awaited  them.  They  sup- 
posed in  a  year,  or  maybe  a  less  time,  they  could 


208  BORDER    TALES 

conquer  the  refractory  Indians,  and  be  recalled  to 
la  belle  France  with  honours  won  in  battle, 
and  meet  again  their  beloved  friends  and  rela- 
tives in  their  home  of  the  vine  and  the  olive ! 
But,  alas!  none  of  them  were  ever  to  hear 
again  the  sweet  voices  of  little  children,  or  the 
hum  of  the  spinning-wheel,  found  everywhere 
in  the  homes  of  the  peasantry ;  for  their  bones 
were  to  lie  bleaching  on  the  soil  of  a  foreign 
land,  or  be  buried  far  from  all  they  held  dear 
in  life  ! 

Of  course  the  light  in  the  tent  of  the  wounded 
Le  Valliet  first  drew  their  attention,  and  thither 
they  wended  their  steps.  The  watcher,  who  was 
standing  at  the  head  of  the  prostrate  officer,  was 
the  first  to  be  despatched ;  and  as  one  of  the 
savages,  who  was  the  first  to  enter,  threw  a 
tomahawk  at  La  Valliet,  he  discharged  his  two 
pistols  at  the  heads  of  the  two  nearest  him; 
and  these  were  the  sounds  which  were  heard  by 
Grifiith  and  the  others. 

The  French  soldiers,  as  soon  as  they  could 
recover  from  the  panic  into  which  they  had  been 
thrown,  at  once  rallied,  and  a  deadly  warfare 
began.  For  a  long  time  the  Indians  seemed  to  be 
on  the  point  of  success.  Anon  they  would  give 
way  under  the  galling  fire  of  the  old  cavalry  or 


i 


AROUND    THE   CAMP  FIRE,  209 

horse  pistols  of  the  French,  who  used  their  sabres 
too  with  a  deadly  effect.  The  temporary  shelters 
of  the  soldiers  were  no  barriers  to  protect  them, 
so  the  fight  became  a  dreadful  hand-to-hand 
encounter,  causing  blood  to  flow  on  every  side. 
The  moon  broke  forth  in  a  full  blaze,  and  thus 
gave  light  to  distinguish  friend  from  foe.  The 
orders  of  the  French  commander  rang  out  clear, 
and  he  animated  his  soldiers  with  the  cry,  "  Down 
with  the  villains  !    Death  to  every  savage  ! " 

As  we  may  imagine,  the  quarters  of  Estelle 
and  her  party  were  close  by,  and  they  were  soon 
aware  of  the  dangers  surrounding  them.  A 
hurried  consultation  was  held  as  to  what  was 
best  to  be  done.  But  they  too  were  soon  dis- 
covered, and  the  rascals,  maddened  by  blood, 
were  only  bent  on  shedding  that  of  every  white, 
friend  or  foe. 

The  first  to  meet  the  savage  who  rushed  toward 
them  was  Sambo,  who  caught  the  Indian  round 
his  waist,  and  lifting  him  off"  his  feet,  threw  him 
upon  the  ground  with  a  violence  that  stunned 
him ;  then,  jumping  upon  him,  drove  his  breath 
clean  out  of  his  body. 

This  daring  feat  of  the  black  hero  nerved 
Allen  to  pitch  in  also,  and  see  how  many  he  could 
lay  low.     He  struck  out  right  and  left,  felling 

p 


210  BORDEB    TALES 

many  a  savage  to  the  ground.  But  just  as  he  had 
fought  and  overcome  a  brave  warrior,  another 
Indian  came  up  behind  him  and  struck  him  on 
the  head  with  a  tomahawk,  causing  him  to  fall 
and  die  without  a  struggle. 

This  was  a  sad  sight  for  poor  black  Sam,  who 
had,  with  him,  sailed  across  the  Spanish  main, 
fighting  pirates  and  always  victorious  together. 
But  to  be  cut  down  by  brutes  was  too  much  for 
the  poor  fellow  to  behold  without  stirring  his 
heart  deeply  in  sympathy  for  his  old  comrade, 
whose  voice  he  never  more  would  hear  upon  the 
earth.  Dropping  a  few  tears  over  his  fallen  friend, 
he  roused  himself,  bent  on  revenging  him  who 
could  not  revenge  himself,  though  his  own  brave 
right  arm  was  hanging  by  his  side,  powerless. 

The  warfare  had  now  raged  at  least  half  an 
hour,  the  whole  body  of  whites  were  completely 
surrounded,  and  the  savages  had  the  advantages 
mostly  on  their  side  in  the  hand-to-hand  en- 
counter. At  a  distance,  the  soldiers  were  sure 
to  win,  as  their  rifles  were  more  than  a  match 
for  the  Indians'  weapons  of  bows  and  arrows, 
knives  and  tomahawks. 

The  American  captain  looked  for  his  brother, 
whom  he  had  missed  in  the  general  fray.  Meet- 
ing Sambo,  he  saw  him  ready  to  pounce  upon 


ABOUND    THE   CAMP  FIBE.  211 

the  slayer  of  his  companion.  With  an  iron  grasp 
Sambo  seized  the  wretch,  and  each  gave  the 
other  a  deadly  blow,  both  falling  at  the  same 
time  to  rise  no  more. 

All  at  once  the  whole  scene  changed.  The  tall 
chief,  who  commanded  the  Indians,  appeared  with 
the  twin  brother  upon  the  scene.  The  loud  voice 
of  Thay-an-da-na-ga  was  heard  bidding  a  parley. 
This  the  savages  obeyed.  They  knew  not  what 
it  meant,  but  none  dared  disobey  the  voice  of 
the  chief. 

We  all  know  that  one  of  the  twins  had  been  the 
adopted  son  of  the  chief,  and  he  had  sought  and 
found  him  in  time  to  reach  the  scene  of  the 
strife,  and  thus  save  Estelle,  her  father,  and  all 
except  poor  Allen  and  Sambo,  who  had  lived  and 
died  together,  brave  and  noble  and  deeply 
lamented. 

TO   CONCLUDE. 

As  the  sun  rolled  up  next  morning,  as  big  as  a 
great  cart-wheel,  shining  down  upon  that  bloody 
battle-field,  it  filled  them  all  with  horror.  The 
natives  were  the  conquerors,  for  not  a  solitary 
soldier  was  left  to  tell  the  tale. 

Our  friends,  however,  were  seen,  or  might  have 


212  BORDER    TALES 

been  seen,  threading  their  way  through  the 
forests  and  over  the  hills  of  the  Onondaga  and 
Oneida,  where  no  woodman's  axe  had  yet  been 
heard,  and  the  stillness  of  the  wild  woods  was 
unbroken,  save  by  the  cry  of  the  whip-poor-will, 
the  eagle,  the  hawk,  or  wild  heron,  or  the  more 
terrible  howling  of  wild  beasts  in  search  of  prey. 

To-day,  the  same  scene  shows  the  progress  of 
religion  and  civilization,  where  the  cattle  graze 
upon  a  thousand  hills,  and  where  are  homes  filled 
with  hearts  and  hands  of  children  of  those  noble 
pioneers,  who  were  the  hardy  settlers  of  the  early 
day.  Then  all  was  toil  and  struggle  with  poverty 
and  self-denial  to  reclaim  the  wilderness  and 
make  it  blossom  as  the  rose. 

After  a  solemn  committal  to  the  earth  of  Allen 
and  the  faithfiil  African,  the  party  took  their 
leave,  never  to  return. 

A  few  years  later,  a  lovely  farmhouse,  with 
barns  full,  and  stacks  of  hay,  and  with  flocks  and 
herds  surrounding,  could  be  seen  on  the  banks  of 
Connecticut  river,  and  close  by  the  farmhouse 
and  dairy  was  an 

•'  Old  oaken  bncket,  the  iron-bound  bucket. 
The  moss-covered  bucket,  which  hung  in  the  well." 

A  double  wedding  was  celebrated  at  the  nup- 
tials of  Estelle  and  her  twin  lover;  while  the 


AROUND    THE   GAMP  FIRE,  213 

other,  the  handsome  captain,  had  somehow  found 
a  charming  mate  among  New  England's  fair 
daughters,  who  had  consented  to  be  a  party  to 
make  complete  the  happiness  of  our  heroes,  the 
Jacob  and  Esau  of  modern  times. 

Whoever  has  been  a  guest  of  the  olden  time, 
not  too  proud  to  eat  in  a  New  England  kitchen, 
will  readily  recall  the  surroundings  of  a  New 
England  wedding.  Cake  and  cider,  baked  pork 
and  beans,  old  fashioned  dough-nuts  and  crullers, 
homely  as  we  may  regard  them,  were  then  neces- 
sary adjuncts  of  every  entertainment  where 
festive  joy  reigned. 

What  the  future  life  of  Estelle  was  we  can- ' 
not  tell.  But  it  was  said  by  an  old  lady  that 
"  she  and  her  husband  lived  in  peace,  and  died 
full  of  honours,  leaving  a  noble  lot  of  boys  and 
girls,  some  of  whom  became  ministers  and  lawyers 
and  doctors,  and  the  females  were  the  mothers  of 
governors  and  statesmen." 

The  writer  ranks  himself  among  them. 


APPENDIX. 

L  PAUL  JONES'S  GKEAT  VICTORY. 
II.  DAYY  CROCKETT. 
III.  FALL  OF  THE  ALAMO,  IN  TEXAS. 


I. 

PAUL  JONES'S  GREAT  VICTORY. 

This  remarkable  man's  name  was  simply  John  Paul, 
that  of  Jones  having  been  assumed  in  after-life  for 
some  unknown  reason.  At  the  age  of  twelve  he  was 
apprenticed  to  a  merchant  of  Whitehaven  who  was 
engaged  in  the  American  trade.  His  first  voyage  was  to 
Virginia,  where  his  elder  brother  was  established  as  a 
planter.  Some  time  after,  we  hear  of  him  as  engaged 
in  the  slave-trade,  but  this  he  abandoned  in  disgust. 
Subsequently  he  made  several  voyages  to  the  West 
Indies,  and,  it  is  said,  accumulated  a  fortune  by  his 
successful  speculations. 

At  the  commencement  of  the  Revolution  Jones 
offered  his  services  to  the  United  States  Government, 
and  received  a  commission  as  lieutenant  in  the  navy, 
December  22,  1775.  For  a  time  he  served  in  a  sub- 
ordinate capacity,  but  his  ability  and  daring  became  so 
conspicuous  that  within  ten  months  he  was  placed  in 
command  of  an  expedition  consisting  of  two  vessels, 
the  Alfred  and  the  Providence.  For  the  next  three 
years  we  hear  of  him  in  all  parts  of  the  Atlantic  coast 
and  on  the  shores  of  Scotland,  where  he  harassed  the 
coasting  trade,  and  also  made  a  most  daring  and  suc- 
cessful descent  upon  the  town  of  Whitehaven. 

In  1779  an  important  expedition  was  fitted  out  under 
the  joint  auspices  of  the  King  of  France  and  the 
American  Commissioners,  and  placed  under  the  com- 


218  APPENDIX, 

mand  of  Jones.  The  squadron  consisted  of  fiYQ  vessels  ; 
and  though  four  of  them  were  French,  they  were  to  be 
considered  as  American  ships,  to  be  governed  by  the 
rules  of  the  American  navy  during  the  cruise.  The 
commissions  of  the  officers  were  given  by  Dr.  Franklin  ; 
and  before  the  expedition  sailed,  the  name  of  the  Duras^ 
Jones's  flag-ship,  was  changed  to  that  of  Bonhomme 
Richard,  as  a  compliment  to  the  great  philosopher. 
His  crew  of  375  men  was  a  medley  made  up  of  repre- 
sentatives of  almost  every  nation  in  Europe,  and  even 
Malays.  The  ship  herself  was  an  indifferent  vessel, 
and  equipped  in  a  very  inefficient  manner.  On  her 
main  or  gun  deck  she  mounted  twenty-eight  twelve- 
pounders,  and  on  her  quarter-deck  and  forecastle  four- 
teen nine-pounders,  making  an  armament  of  forty-two 
guns  in  all.  Dissatisfied  with  this,  Jones  caused  twelve 
ports  to  be  cut  in  the  room  below,  where  six  old  eighteen- 
pounders  were  mounted.  This  expedient,  however,  did 
not  add  to  the  efficiency  of  the  ship,  but,  on  the  con- 
trary, produced  the  most  disastrous  consequences. 

At  the  close  of  July,  Jones  sailed  from  L'Orient,  on 
the  coast  of  France,  steered  for  the  western  shores  of 
Ireland,  and  appeared  off  Kerry.  From  thence  he 
ranged  round  the  north  of  Scotland  until  he  came 
opposite  the  Frith  of  Forth,  when  he  directed  his  course 
toward  Flamborough  Head.  By  the  middle  of  Septem- 
ber twenty-six  vessels  had  been  captured  or  destroyed 
by  the  squadron,  and  very  great  alarm  created  upon 
the  east  coast  of  England.  On  the  23rd  of  the  same 
month  Jones  fell  in  with  the  fleet  from  the  Baltic, 
under  the  protection  of  the  Serapis,  commanded  by 
Captain  Pearson,  and  the  Countess  of  Scarhoroughy 
commanded  by  Captain  Piercy.  Before  noon  Captain 
Pearson  received  intelligence  from  the  bailiffs  of  Scar- 
borough of  the  squadron  under  Jones  being  on  the 
coast,  and  between  twelve  and  one  the  enemies  were  in 
each  other's  sight.     Signal  for  general  chase  was  made 


PAUL  Jones's  great  victory.    219 

by  Jones,  and  the  ship  Alliance,  being  the  fastest  of 
the  squadron,  took  the  lead.  Owing,  however,  to  the 
cowardice  or  mutinous  spirit  of  her  commander,  Captain 
Landais,  on  seeing  the  strength  of  the  English  fleet 
she  immediately  stood  off  at  a  safe  distance.  About 
half-past  seven  in  the  evening  the  Richard  came  up 
with  the  Serapis,  and  closed  with  her  upon  her  quarter- 
deck to  about  half  pistol-shot.  The  weather  was  serene 
and  beautiful,  the  water  perfectly  smooth,  and  the  wind 
light  at  south-west,  both  ships  heading  to  the  northward. 
It  was  also  full  moon,  and  Flamborough  Head  less 
than  a  league  distant,  so  that  the  piers  of  Scarborough 
were  covered  with  spectators  eager  to  witness  the 
combat.  The  Serapis  now  hailed  the  Richard,  and 
was  answered.  A  few  unimportant  questions  passed, 
when  broadsides  were  exchanged,  and  two  of  the  old 
eighteen-pounders  in  the  Richard^ s  gun-room  burst, 
blowing  up  the  deck  above,  and  killing  or  wounding  a 
number  of  the  men  stationed  at  them.  This  part  of  the 
battery  was  then  abandoned,  and  the  ports  closed.  A 
close  and  heavy  cannonade  was  now  maintained  by  both 
ships  for  about  an  hour,  when  they  fouled  each  other, 
and  for  a  few  moments  the  fighting  ceased.  Captain 
Pearson  then  hailed  the  Richard,  and  asked  if  she  had 
struck  her  colours.  "I  have  not  yet  begun  to  fight,'* 
was  the  reply  of  Jones,  and  the  action  was  immediately 
renewed. 

Captain  Pearson's  vessel  had  considerable  superiority 
over  the  Richard  in  regard  to  her  working  power,  and 
repeatedly  gained  advantages,  in  spite  of  the  efforts  of 
Jones  to  prevent  it.  Finally,  to  put  an  end  to  this,  Jones 
aimed  at  laying  his  ship  athwart  of  the  other.  Though 
he  did  not  succeed  in  his  wish,  yet,  as  the  bowsprit  of 
the  Serapis  ran  between  his  poop  and  mizzenmast,  he 
seized  the  opportunity  of  lashing  the  two  vessels  to- 
gether ;  and  the  wind  driving  the  head  of  the  English 
ship  against  the  bow  of  the  Rdckard,  they  came  so  close 


220  APPENDIX, 

fore  and  aft  that  the  muzzles  of  their  guns  touched  each 
other's  sides. 

In  this  position  the  action  continued  from  half -past 
eight  until  half-past  ten  in  the  evening,  each  party- 
fighting  with  the  utmost  desperation.  As  the  conflict 
waxed  warmer,  they  fought  hand  to  hand  with  pike, 
pistol,  and  cutlass,  and  blood  flowed  freely.  Already 
the  Richard  had  been  pierced  by  several  eighteen-pound 
balls  between  wind  and  water  j  her  twelve-pounders 
had  been  silenced,  and  she  was  commencing  to  fill. 
Only  three  nine-pounders  kept  up  a  cannonade ;  but 
the  marines  in  the  round-top  sent  volleys  of  bullets 
with  deadly  aim  down  upon  the  struggling  Englishmen. 
Ignited  combustibles  were  scattered  over  the  Sera])is, 
and  at  one  time  she  was  on  fire  in  a  dozen  places.  The 
Serajpis  also  suffered  much  from  the  guns  of  the  Alli- 
ance, which  came  up  from  her  position  of  safety  and 
deliberately  poured  forth  her  volleys  indiscriminately 
on  friend  and  foe.  About  ten  o'clock  the  cry  was 
raised  on  board  the  Richard  that  she  was  beginning 
to  sink,  and  her  carpenter  released  over  a  hundred 
prisoners,  a  part  of  whom  succeeded  in  getting  aboard 
the  Serapis.  The  gunner  also,  alarmed  at  the  quantity 
of  water  in  the  vessel,  ran  aft  on  the  poop,  crying  for 
quarter.  He  was  abruptly  silenced  by  Jones.  But  the 
situation  of  the  Richard  was  apparently  hopeless.  She 
was  almost  in  a  sinking  condition,  many  of  her  guns 
were  disabled,  a  large  number  of  her  prisoners  were  at 
large,  the  Alliance  was  deliberately  firing  into  her,  and 
some  of  the  petty  officers  had  set  up  the  cry  of  fire. 

Jones  was  advised  to  surrender,  but  repudiated  the 
thought.  The  prisoners  were  compelled  to  work  at  the 
pumps,  the  three  surviving  guns  kept  up  their  fire,  and 
the  action  was  continued  under  Jones's  personal  super- 
intendence. At  length  the  8eraj)is,  overcome  with  the 
fury  of  her  enemy,  surrendered.  Captain  Pearson,  who 
had  nailed  his  flag  to  the  mast,  became  convinced  of 


PAUL  Jones's  great  victory,    221 

the  folly  of  prolonging  the  engagement,  and  struck  his 
colours  with  his  own  hand.  When  the  moment  came 
for  the  gallant  Englishman  to  deliver  his  sword  to 
Commodore  Jones,  whom  he  regarded  as  a  rebel  and  a 
pirate,  it  is  related  that  he  said,  "I  cannot,  sir,  but 
feel  much  mortification  at  the  idea  of  surrendering  my 
sword  to  a  man  who  has  fought  me  with  a  rope  around 
his  neck."  Jones  received  the  weapon,  and  immediately 
returning  it,  said,  "  You  have  fought  gallantly,  sir,  and 
I  hope  your  king  will  give  you  a  better  ship."  Captain 
Pearson  was  afterward  knighted  as  a  reward  for  his 
conduct  on  the  occasion.  The  story  is  told  that,  upon 
hearing  of  the  event,  Jones  remarked,  "  He  deserves  it ; 
and  if  I  fall  in  with  him  again,  I  will  make  a  lord  of 
him." 

Both  the  Serapis  and  the  Richard  had  suffered  much 
during  the  engagement,  but  the  latter  was  a  complete 
wreck,  and  the  seven  feet  of  water  which  she  had  in 
her  hold  upon  the  conclusion  of  the  combat  kept  con- 
stantly increasing.  She  was  on  fire  in  two  places,  her 
quarters  on  the  lower  deck  were  driven  in,  the  whole  of 
her  main  battery  was  dismounted,  and  she  was  cut  to 
pieces  in  the  most  extraordinary  manner.  The  after- 
part  of  the  ship,  in  line  with  the  guns  of  the  Serapis, 
was  so  completely  demolished  that  the  upper  deck  was 
only  sustained  by  the  ruins  of  the  framework,  some 
parts  of  which  had  been  missed  by  the  shot.  It  being 
considered  impossible  to  convey  her  into  port,  the 
wounded  were  removed  to  the  8erapis,  and,  after  a 
short  attempt  to  keep  her  afloat  by  means  of  the  pumps, 
she  was  allowed  to  go  down  in  the  deep  waters  off 
Bridlington  Bay.  Commodore  Jones,  with  the  remains 
of  his  flying  squadron  and  prizes,  made  for  Holland, 
and  on  the  3rd  of  October  anchored  off  the  Texel.  The 
prizes  taken  and  ransomed  by  the  Bonhomme  Richard 
during  her  cruise  were  estimated  at  the  sum  of  £40,000. 

Upon  the  arrival  of  Jones  at  Holland,  the  British 


222  APPENDIX, 

minister  at  the  Hague  applied  to  the  States-General  for 
an  order  delivering  up  the  Serapis  and  Scarborough, 
the  latter  having  surrendered  at  the  same  time  as  the 
Serapis,  together  with  Jones  and  his  men.  Happily 
the  Dutch  authorities  refused  to  interfere,  for  they  felt 
a  secret  friendship  for  the  struggling  Americans.  By  a 
diplomatic  trick  they  also  avoided  trouble  with  Great 
Britain,  and  Commodore  Jones,  instead  of  being  con- 
veyed as  a  pirate  to  England,  was  soon  upon  the  ocean 
as  commander  of  the  Alliance,  the  captain  of  that 
vessel  having  been  dismissed  the  service  on  account  of 
his  conduct  during  the  famous  combat.  Jones's  action 
with  the  Serapis  gave  him  great  eclat  in  Europe  and 
America,  and  no  subsequent  action  ever  dimmed  his 
fame.  Louis  XVI.  gave  him  a  gold-mounted  sword, 
bearing  upon  its  blade  the  words  :  Vindicati  maris 
I/iidovicus  XVL,  remunerator  strenuo  vindici.  This 
inscription  was  surrounded  by  the  emblems  of  America 
and  France.  Louis  also  created  him  Knight  of  the 
Order  of  Merit.  In  1781  he  sailed  for  America,  and 
here  further  honours  were  heaped  upon  him.  General 
Washington  wrote  him  an  exceedingly  complimentary 
letter,  and  Congress  gave  him  a  special  vote  of  thanks. 
Eight  years  later,  the  same  body  ordered  a  gold  medal 
to  be  struck  and  presented  to  the  *^  Chevalier  John  Paul 
Jones."  One  side  bore  a  portrait  of  the  hero,  and  the 
other  a  view  of  the  engagement  by  which  his  fame  was 
won. 

At  the  close  of  the  war,  Jones  sailed  for  France, 
empowered  to  negotiate  for  the  recovery  of  prize-money 
in  different  parts  of  Europe.  This  service  rendered,  he 
accepted  the  position  of  rear-admiral  in  the  Russian 
navy,  and  on  the  occasion  of  a  difficulty  between  that 
power  and  the  Turks,  acquitted  himself  in  such  a 
manner  that  he  received  from  the  Empress  Catherine 
the  ribbon  of  St.  Anne.  He  was  disappointed,  however, 
in  not  obtaining  the  command  of  the  fleet  in  the  Black 


DAVY  CROCKETT,  223 

Sea,  and  a  quarrel  with  the  admiral,  Prince  Nassau, 
brought  him  into  such  disgrace  at  court  that  he  retired 
from  the  Russian  service.  A  pension  was  promised 
from  the  Russian  Government,  but  it  was  never  paid, 
and  the  great  naval  commander  retired  to  Paris,  where 
he  lived  in  poverty  and  neglect.  His  death  occurred 
on  the  18th  of  July,  1792,  but  the  place  of  his  burial 
is  unknown.  A  commission  from  the  American  Govern- 
ment, appointing  him  agent  to  treat  with  Algiers, 
arrived  too  late  to  find  him  among  the  living. 


II. 
DAVY  CROCKETT. 


A  Sketch  of  his  Life — His  Adventures  with  Indians,  and 
Great  Reputation  as  a  Bear-Hunter — His  Acts  in 
Congress. 

Davy  Ceockett  was  a  self-made  man  ;  and  although 
his  example  cannot  be  followed  by  our  American 
youth,  because  no  such  circumstances  can  possibly  arise 
in  our  history  as  those  which  attended  his  birth,  youth, 
and  manhood,  yet  still  boys  may  learn  from  his  ex- 
ample that  our  best  and  most  enterprising  men  have 
had  little  to  favour  their  rise  in  the  world,  and  much 
to  hinder  their  advancement. 

An  old  saying  is  current  in  our  literature,  which 
originated  with  our  hero — 

*'  Be  sure  you're  right,  and  then  go  ahead !  " 

David  Crockett,  of  East  Tennessee,  was  a  nondescript 
of  human  nature — neither  civilized  nor  savage.  Like 
Boone,  Kenton,  Sam  Dale,  etc.,  he  was  a  man  of  cir- 
cumstances.    Had    he    lived   in  polished  society,    he 


224  APPENDIX, 

would  have  been  a  popular  man  of  the  world.  Brought 
up  in  the  settlements  strung  along  the  Southern  Indian 
border,  he  was  a  popular  man  of  the  woods. 

Davy  was  the  fifth  child,  of  six  sons  and  three 
daughters.  His  father,  half  squatter,  half  settler,  led 
the  restless  life  of  his  class,  trying  his  hand  at  a  dozen 
things  and  succeeding  in  none.  The  children  consti- 
tuted a  loving  family,  nevertheless — sure  evidence  that 
the  mother  was  a  loving  woman.  Though  rude  and 
uncultivated,  they  were  honest  and  true,  which  is  more 
than  can  be  said  of  many  families  who  sport  an 
escutcheon. 

Davy,  at  an  early  date,  had  to  "  do "  for  himself. 
Born  about  1780,  he  was  yet  a  lad  when  the  first  Creek 
war  desolated  the  Tennessee  settlements.  Then  his 
grandparents  were  both  butchered  in  their  cabin  home 
by  the  Indians,  who  had  been  badly  treated  by  the 
whites  in  the  neighbourhood.  His  uncle  Joseph  was 
wounded,  and  his  uncle  James,  a  mute,  was  carried  off 
a  prisoner,  to  be  recovered  seventeen  years  afterwards. 

Such  were  the  boy's  early  recollections.  He  soon 
became  familiar  with  forest  life,  but  grew  up  at  the 
settlements,  labouring  at  whatever  ofifered  for  an  honest 
living,  farming,  droving,  teaming,  etc.  He  ran  away 
from  his  home  to  escape  a  severe  whipping  for  refusal 
to  go  to  school.  Then  came  his  first  real  tussle  with 
the  world,  and  a  '* rough  and  tumble"  it  was,  such  as 
boys  nowadays  know  but  little  of,  or  such  as.  if  they 
had  to  go  through  it,  would  leave  them  bad  habits 
and  broken  characters. 

When  the  second  Creek  war  broke  out  in  1818, 
David  was  a  married  man,  having  two  sons  ;  but  he 
soon  enlisted,  and  won  fame  as  a  scout.  In  the  several 
battles  of  the  war  he  participated,  fighting  with  the 
heroism  and  skill  of  the  true  borderman.  But  he  tired 
of  the  service,  of  its  dreadful  marches  and  short 
supplies  of   everything   needful,    and  returned   home. 


DAVT  CROCKETT.  225 

near  the  war's  close,  fully  satisfied  to  "  have  no  more  of 
sich  doin's." 

Crockett's  extraordinary  political  career  may  be  said 
to  have  commenced  with  his  election  to  the  colonelcy  of 
a  militia  regiment  in  Giles  county,  where  he  then  had 
"stuck  his  stakes." 

Davy  was  popular,  apparently,  because  he  was 
ignorant ;  he  was  one  of  "  the  people,"  and  this  popu- 
larity soon  sent  him  to  the  Legislature  (1822),  a 
member  from  Giles  and  Hickman  counties.  His 
ignorance  was  such  that  he  did  not  know  what  the 
word  "judiciary"  meant. 

A  "  great  fresh "  made  Crockett  a  poor  man  by 
washing  away  his  mills.  He  gave  up  everything  to  his 
creditors,  and  moved  into  the  wilderness  of  North-west 
Tennessee,  on  the  Ohio  river.  In  that  game-haunted 
region  he  spent  the  happiest  years  of  his  life.  The 
woods  and  breaks  were  full  of  "  meat,"  and  there 
occurred  the  numerous  adventures  with  bears  which 
rendered  Crockett  famous  as  a  hunter  of  ugly  beasts. 

But  even  in  that  wilderness  the  man's  own  political 
popularity  followed  him,  and,  in  spite  of  himself,  he  was 
nominated  (1823)  by  the  people  who  had  gathered  at 
the  little  town  of  Jackson,  forty  miles  away  from  his 
past  home.  This  nomination  was,  by  the  three  oppos- 
ing candidates,  regarded  as  a  burlesque ;  but  Davy, 
leaving  his  retiracy,  went  into  the  canvass  so  earnestly 
that  he  was  elected.  His  remarkable  speeches  and  odd 
sayings,  and  his  great  reputation  as  a  bear-hunter,  all 
told  so  powerfully  in  his  favour  that  his  more  intelligent 
competitors  were  "nowhar." 

Crockett  was  now  a  public  man.  His  popularity  was 
not  lessened  by  his  two  winters  in  the  Legislature, 
where  his  hunter's  garb,  his  queer  talk,  and  his  down- 
right honesty  made  him  conspicuous.  It  is  not  sur- 
prising, therefore,  that  he  should  have  turned  his  face 
toward  Washington,  by  running  for  Congress  in  1824. 

Q 


226  APPENDIX. 

He  was  beaten,  however,  by  two  votes  only,  by  his  rich 
and  influential  opponent,  the  then  Congress  man. 

He  resolved  to  "pick  his  flint  and  try  it  again,"  after 
two  years,  when  election  time  came  on  once  more. 
During  that  two  years  he  hunted  much  of  the  time. 
In  this  perilous  pastime  he  found  his  greatest  enjoyment 
as  well  as  profit,  for  the  meat  constituted  the  family's 
main  reliance  for  food,  while  the  skins  and  oil  were  sold 
for  money  with  which  to  purchase  "  store  stuif."  The 
stories  of  these  prolonged  hunts  are  exciting  enough. 
His  skill,  courage,  and  power  of  endurance  made  him 
more  than  a  match  for  the  ferocious  brutes,  many  of 
which  weighed  over  600  pounds  each.  In  one  year's 
time  (1824-25)  he  killed  105  bears. 

Davy  had  to  give  over  his  bear-hunting,  however. 
In  the  summer  of  1827  he  contested  the  canvass  for 
Congress  against  his  old  competitor  and  a  wealthy  and 
influential  citizen,  beating  both  by  a  large  majority. 

His  early  Congressional  career  was  marked  by 
devotion  to  the  "  Jackson  party's "  interests  and 
principles,  but  never  would  he  sacrifice  his  sturdy 
independence  at  the  behest  of  his  politicians.  He  was 
re-elected  in  1829  by  an  overwhelming  vote.  But, 
during  his  second  term,  he  sternly  set  his  face  against 
Jackson's  Indian  bill,  as  it  was  called,  and  this  secured 
his  defeat  in  the  canvass  of  1831  by  a  very  small 
majority.  His  third  canvass  taught  him  what  a  dirty 
thing  politics  is — tainting  every  man's  moral  nature  (if 
he  has  any  moral  nature  to  taint)  who  becomes  a  tool  of 
political  tricksters  or  an  office-hunter. 

A  fourth  canvass,  in  1833,  resulted  in  a  dead  set 
being  made  against  him  by  the  Jackson  men.  Jackson 
then  literally  owned  the  Tennessee  Legislature  ;  so,  to 
kill  off  Crockett,  the  Legislature  re-districted  the  State, 
but  all  to  no  purpose.  Davy's  extraordinary  popularity 
carried  him  over  all  intrigue  and  money,  and  he  took 
his  seat  in  the  session  of  1833-34,  a  strong,  because 
wholly  unfettered,  man. 


DAVY  CROCKETT,  227 

Despite  his  early  ignorance,  Crockett  became  a  power 
as  a  man.  He  was  shrewd,  intelligent  by  nature,  full 
of  ready  wit,  which  he  used  like  a  weapon,  studious  to 
get  at  the  merits  of  every  question,  and  perfectly  fearless 
in  expressing  his  convictions  or  wishes. 

This  independence,  in  those  days  of  intense  partisan- 
ship and  detestable  corruption,  was  so  rare  a  virtue  as  to 
render  him  doubly  noted  ;  and  when,  in  the  spring  of 
1834,  he  made  his  well-remembered  "Northern  Tour," 
he  had  a  "  real  triumphal  procession  tugging  on  behind 
all  the  way."  His  reception  on  that  tour  by  the  Whigs 
of  Philadelphia,  New  York,  Boston,  etc.,  reads  like  an 
odd  romance.  Everywhere  thousands  of  people  turned 
out  to  see  and  hear  the  great  hunter.  It  w^as  an  ovation 
of  which  the  honest  backwoodsman  was  justly  proud. 
His  speeches  and  stories  became  the  "  town's  talk,"  and 
were  copied  in  every  paper  in  the  land.  Crockett's 
joke-books  and  almanacks  were  immensely  popular  for 
years  after. 

In  the  closely  and  peculiarly  contested  canvass  for 
Congress  in  1835,  Crockett  was  beaten,  the  Jackson 
party  leaving  no  artifice  or  dodge  untried  which  could 
impair  his  popularity.  He  was  beaten  by  fraud,  now 
very  openly  used.  This  defeat  greatly  mortified  Colonel 
Crockett,  and  disgusted'with  politics,  and  broken  in  for- 
tune by  his  long  inattention  to  his  own  private  affairs,  he 
resolved  to  leave  Tennessee  altogether,  and  strike  for 
Texas,  whose  struggles  for  independence  were  then 
enlisting  the  sympathies  of  the  United  States.  Eejected 
by  his  own  State,  he  could  yet  command  glory  in  a 
higher  and  a  nobler  cause.  It  was  a  resolve  worthy 
of  a  noble  soul.  Alas  !  that  Santa  Anna's  blood-dyed 
hands  had  the  power  to  drive  to  butchery  such  a  hero. 

Bidding  adieu  to  his  many  friends,  and  tearing  himself 
from  the  embraces  of  wife  and  children,  whom  he  loved 
with  all  the  tenderness  of  his  soul,  he  started  (October, 
1835)   overland  for   San  Antonio.     His  journey  was 


228  APPENDIX. 

long  and  exciting,  full  of  the  strangest  episodes  and 
adventures.  As  related  in  his  remarkable  autobio- 
graphy, it  reads  like  the  invention  of  a  romance  writer. 
He  finally  reached  the  Texas  garrison  of  the  Alamo,  at 
Bexar,  on  the  San  Antonio  river,  where  the  brave  Colonel 
Travis  and  the  renowned  Colonel  Bowie  were  awaiting 
the  assault  of  Santa  Anna's  army,  1600  strong,  then 
coming  to  redeem  the  defeats  of  General  Cos,  from 
whom  San  Antonio  and  the  fortress  called  the  Alamo 
had  been  wrenched  by  the  Texan  patriots  (December 
10.) 

This  force,  under  immediate  command  of  Santa  Anna, 
reached  the  vicinity  of  Bexar  late  in  February,  1839, 
when  a  series  of  bloody  struggles  followed,  until  at  last 
the  heroic  Texans  were  wholly  driven  into  the  works. 
The  Alamo  was  assaulted  on  the  morning  of  March  6th, 
and  when  finally  captured,  only  six  of  the  garrison  of 
150  were  left  alive,  Crockett  one  of  that  number. 
"  He  stood  alone  in  the  angle  of  the  fort,  the  barrel  of 
his  shattered  rifle  in  his  right  hand  ;  in  his  left  his  large 
bowie-knife,  dripping  blood.  He  had  a  frightful  gash 
across  his  forehead,  while  around  him  were  a  complete 
barrier  of  twenty  Mexicans,  lying  pell-mell,  dead  and 
dying." 

An  appalling  sight  truly,  but  one  made  more  appalling 
by  the  scene  which  soon  followed — the  slaughter  of 
the  six  living  men  by  Santa  Anna's  orders.  Crockett 
and  his  companions,  having  surrendered  as  prisoners  of 
war  to  General  Castrillon,  were  led  to  Santa  Anna,  who 
at  once  ordered  them  to  be  put  to  the  sword.  "Colonel 
Crockett,  seeing  the  act  of  treachery,  instantly  sprang 
like  a  tiger  at  the  ruffian  chief ;  but,  before  he  could 
reach  him,  a  dozen  swords  were  sheathed  in  his  indomi- 
table heart,  and  he  fell  and  died  without  a  groan,  a 
frown  on  h.s  brow  and  a  smile  of  scorn  and  defiance  on 
his  lips." 

Out  of  such  scenes  of  carnage  and  martyrdom  did 


FALL    OF  THE  ALAMO.  229 

Texas  finally  emerge  into  the  glory  of  independence. 
She  truly  owes  a  monument  to  these  grand  souls  who 
perished  in  her  cause  ;  and  to  none  more  than  to  the 
chivalric  David  Crockett. 


III. 

FALL  OF  THE  ALAMO, 

San  Antonio,  Texas. 

The  fall  of  the  Alamo,  whose  tragic  results  are  so 
well  known,  was  an  action  whose  details,  so  far  as  the 
final  assault  is  concerned,  have  not  been  fully  or  cor- 
rectly given  in  any  of  the  current  histories  of  Texas. 
The  reason  is  obvious  when  it  is  remembered  that  not  a 
single  combatant  from  within  survived  to  tell  the  tale, 
while  the  official  reports  of  the  enemy  were  neither 
circumstantial  nor  reliable.  A  trustworthy  account  of 
the  assault  could  only  be  compiled  by  comparing  and 
combining  the  verbal  narratives  of  such  of  the  assailants 
as  could  be  relied  on  for  veracity,  and  adding  to  this 
such  light  on  the  matter  as  may  be  gathered  from 
military  documents  of  that  day.  As  Colonel  Potter  was 
a  resident  of  Matamoros  when  the  event  happened,  and 
for  several  months  after  the  invading  armies  had 
returned  thither,  he  had  opportunities  for  obtaining 
the  kind  of  information  referred  to  which  few  persons, 
if  any,  still  living  in  Texas  have  possessed  ;  and  he  has 
been  urged  to  publish  what  he  gathered  on  the  subject, 
as  by  means  of  it  an  interesting  fragment  of  history 
may  be  saved.     He  thus  narrates  his  experience. 

*^  Among  the  facts  which  have  been  perverted  by  both 
sides  is  the  number  of  Mexican  troops  engaged  in  the 
assault  and  in  the  campaign.  The  whole  force  with 
which  Santa   Anna  invaded  Texas   in   1836  probably 


230  APPENDIX, 

amounted  to  about  7500  men.  It  consisted  of  two 
regiments  of  horse  and  thirteen  battalions  of  foot.  It 
may  be  well  here  to  observe  that  the  Mexicans  apply 
the  term  regiment  only  to  cavalry  corps.  Those  of 
infantry  of  the  same  size  are  always  called  battalions  ; 
and  the  latter  term  as  used  by  them  designates  the 
whole  of  a  colonel's  command  of  foot,  not  as  with  us 
a  subdivision  of  it.  The  nominal  complement  of  a 
regiment  or  battalion  is  1500  men  ;  but  I  have  never 
known  one  to  be  full,  or  to  much  exceed  a  third  of 
that  number.  It  is  seldom  attempted  to  swell  them 
beyond  500  men,  for  it  is  only  by  keeping  down  the 
strength,  to  keep  up  the  number  of  the  corps,  that 
the  numerous  ofiScers  entitled  to  pay  and  clamorous 
for  commands  can  be  employed.  I  saw  all  the  corps 
which  returned  from  the  campaign  of  '36,  and  from  the 
size  of  those  which  had  not  been  in  action,  as  well  as 
from  the  remaining  bulk  of  those  which  had  suffered, 
after  allowing  for  probable  loss,  I  am  convinced  that 
their  average  strength  when  they  entered  Texas  differed 
little  from  500 — making  the  aggregate  of  the  army 
as  above  surmised.  That  this  estimate  will  apply 
to  the  third  of  it  engaged  in  storming  the  Alamo  I 
consider  very  probable,  for  I  paid  more  attention  to  the 
strength  of  these  corps  than  of  others. 

"  At  the  beginning  of  the  invasion  the  Mexican  officers 
spoke  of  their  army  as  10,000  strong.  After  its  failure 
Santa  Anna,  in  his  letter  to  General  Jackson,  referred 
to  his  invading  force  as  having  numbered  6000.  This 
is  the  usual  Mexican  style  of  overrating,  as  a  threat 
before  action,  and  underrating,  as  an  apology,  after 
defeat.  The  truth  is  usually  to  be  found  midway 
between  the  two  estimates.* 

*  When  Santa  Anna  summoned  General  Taylor  to  surrender  at 
Buena  Vista,  he  announced  his  force  as  being  over  20,000  strong. 
After  his  repulse  he  reported  it  to  his  Government  as  16,000. 
18,000  was  probably  near  the  truth. 


FALL    OF  TEE  ALAMO.  231 

"  The  main  army,  commanded  by  Santa  Anna  in 
person,  moved  from  Laredo  upon  San  Antonio  in  four 
successive  detachments.  This  was  rendered  necessary 
by  the  scarcity  of  pasture  and  water  in  certain  portions 
of  the  route.  The  lower  division,  commanded  by  Briga- 
dier-General Urrea,  moved  from  Matamoros  upon  Goliad 
in  one  body.  It  consisted  of  the  cavalry  regiment  of 
Cuatla,  the  infantry  battalion  of  Yucatan,  and  some 
companies  of  permanent  militia.  The  aforesaid  bat- 
talion, which  I  counted,  numbered  350  odd  men.  The 
regiment  of  dragoons  was  of  about  the  same  size,  and 
the  whole  made  900  or  1000.* 

"  The  advance  detachment  from  Laredo,  consisting  of 
the  dragoon  regiment  of  Dolores  and  one  or  two  bat- 
talions, arrived  at  San  Antonio  in  the  latter  part  of 
February — I  think  on  the  21st.  The  Alamo  was  at 
that  time  garrisoned  by  156  men  under  Lieutenant- 
Colonel  Travis.  James  Bowie  was,  I  think,  considered 
his  second  in  command.  David  Crockett,  of  Tennessee, 
also  belonged  to  this  garrison,  having  joined  it  a  few 
weeks  before ;  but  whether  he  had  any  command  or 
not  I  have  never  heard.  One  of  the  most  estimable 
and  chivalrous  men  attached  to  it  was  J.  B.  Bonham, 
Esq.,  of  South  Carolina,  who  had  recently  come  to 
volunteer  in  the  service  of  Texas  ;  but  what  his  posi- 
tion was  in  the  fortress  I  am  unable  to  say.  Travis 
had  been  commissioned  by  the  Provisional  Government 
of  Texas  a  lieutenant-colonel  of  regular  cavalry ;  but 
his  corps  had  not  been  raised,  and  the  men  he  now 
commanded  were  volunteers.  Some  of  them  had  been 
engaged  in  the  recent  siege  of  San  Antonio,  when 
Cos  capitulated,  and  others  had  more  lately  arrived 
from    the    United    States.     Among    them    were    only 

*  This  was  the  force,  leaving  out  two  small  detachments,  which 
overtook  Fannin  at  Coleto ;  but  it  was  reinforced  before  the  sur- 
render by  two  battalions  from  San  Antonio,  and  by  others  a  few 
days  after. 


232  APPENDIX, 

three  Mexicans  of  San  Antonio,  and  what  proportion 
the  old  residents  of  Texas  bore  to  the  newly  arrived 
among  them  I  am  unable  to  say. 

"  No  regular  scouting  service  seems  to  have  been  kept 
up  from  Travis's  post ;  for,  though  the  enemy  was  ex- 
pected, his  near  approach  was  not  known  until  his 
advance  of  dragoons  was  seen  descending  the  slope  west 
of  the  San  Pedro.  The  guard  in  town  is  said  to  have 
retired  in  good  order  to  the  fort ;  yet  so  complete  was 
the  surprise  of  the  place  that  one  or  more  American 
residents,  engaged  in  mercantile  business,  fled  to  the 
Alamo,  leaving  their  stores  open.  After  the  enemy 
entered  the  place,  a  cannon-shot  from  the  Alamo  was 
answered  by  a  shell  from  the  invaders  ;  and,  I  think, 
.  little  more  was  done  in  the  way  of  hostility  that  day. 
The  fortress  was  not  immediately  invested,  and  the  few 
citizens  who  had  taken  refuge  in  it  succeeded  in  leaving 
it  that  night. 

'*  On  the  23rd,  Santa  Anna  with  the  second  division 
arrived,*  and  on  the  same  day  a  regular  siege  was  com- 
menced. Its  operations,  which  lasted  eleven  days,  are, 
I  think,  correctly  given  in  Yoakum's  "  History  of  Texas," 
though  he  did  not  succeed  in  getting  a  true  account  of 
the  assault.  Several  batteries  were  opened  on  succes- 
sive days,  on  the  north,  south,  and  east  of  the  Alamo, 
where  there  were  then  no  houses  to  interfere  with  the 
operations.  The  enemy,  however,  had  do  siege  train, 
but  only  light  field-pieces  and  howitzers.  A  breach  was 
opened  in  the  northern  barrier,  but  the  buildings  seem 
not  to  have  been  severely  battered.  The  operations  of 
the  siege  consisted  of  an  active  though  not  very  effective 
cannonade  and  bombardment,  with  occasional  skirmish- 
ing by  day,  and  frequent  harassing  alarms  at  night, 
designed  to  wear  out  the  garrison  by  want  of  sleep.     No 

*  Yoakum,  in  his  "  History  of  Texas,"  errs  in  supposing  that  the 
advance  division  arrived  at  San  Antonio  with  Santa  Anna  on  the 
23rd.     He  was  preceded  by  another,  as  here  related. 


FALL    OF  TEE  ALAMO.  233 

assault  was  attempted,  as  has  often  been  asserted,  till 
the  final  storming  of  the  place.  Neither  was  the  invest- 
ment so  close  as  to  prevent  the  passage  of  couriers  and 
the  entrance  of  one  small  reinforcement ;  for,  on  the 
night  of  the  1st  of  March,  a  company  of  thirty-two  men 
from  Gonzales  made  its  way  through  the  enemy's  lines, 
and  entered  the  Alamo,  never  again  to  leave  it.  This 
raised  the  force  of  the  garrison  to  188  men,  as  none 
of  the  original  number  had  yet  fallen.  There  could 
have  been  no  great  loss  on  either  side  till  the  final 
assault.* 

"  Santa  Anna,  after  calling  a  council  of  war  on  the  4th 
of  March,  fixed  upon  the  morning  of  Sunday,  the  6th, 
as  the  time  for  the  final  assault. 

"It  was  resolved  by  Santa  Anna  that  the  assault 
should  take  place  at  early  dawn.  The  order  for  the 
attack,  which  I  have  read,  but  have  no  copy  of,  was 
full  and  precise  in  its  details,  and  was  signed  by 
Brigadier- General  Amador  as  head  of  the  staff.  The 
besieging  force  consisted  of  the  battalions  of  Toluca, 
Jimenes,  Matamoros,  los  Zapadores  (or  sappers),  and 
another,  which  I  think  was  that  of  Guerrero,  and  the 
dragoon  regiment  of  Dolores.  The  infantry  were 
directed  at  a  certain  hour,  between  midnight  and  dawn, 
to  form  at  a  convenient  distance  from  the  port  in  four 
columns  of  attack  and  a  reserve.  This  disposition  was 
not  made  by  battalions  ;    for  the  light  companies  of  all 

*  In  a  letter  of  Travis,  dated  March  3rd,  he  sajs :  "With 
145  men  I  have  held  this  place  ten  days  against  a  force  variously 
estimated  from  1500  to  6000  ;  and  I  shall  continue  to  hold  it  till  I 
get  relief  from  my  countrymen,  or  I  will  perish  in  its  defence. 
We  have  had  a  shower  of  bombs  and  cannon-balls  continually 
falling  among  us  the  whole  time;  yet  none  of  us  have  fallen. 
We  have  been  miraculously  preserved."  Travis  must  have  alluded 
to  the  original  force  of  the  garrison  before  the  arrival  of  the  Gon- 
zales company.  If  its  full  number  was  156,  eleven  men  must 
have  been  non-effective  from  sickness  or  wounds,  as  none  had  been 
killed. 


234  APPENDIX, 

of  them  were  incorporated  with  the  Zapadores  to  form 
the  reserve,  and  some  other  transpositions  may  have 
been  made.  A  certain  number  of  scaling  ladders  and 
axes  were  to  be  borne  with  particular  columns.  The 
cavalry  were  to  be  stationed  at  different  points  around 
the  fortress  to  cut  off  fugitives.  From  what  I  have 
learned  of  men  engaged  in  the  action,  it  seems  that 
these  dispositions  were  changed  on  the  eve  of  attack,  so 
far  as  to  combine  the  ^yq  bodies  of  infantry  into  three 
columns  of  atttck.  This  included  the  troops  designated 
in  the  order  as  the  reserve  ;  and  the  only  actual  re- 
serve that  remained  was  the  cavalry. 

"The  immediate  command  of  the  assault  was  entrusted 
to  General  Castrillon,  a  Spaniard  by  birth  and  a  bril- 
liant soldier.  Santa  Anna  took  his  station,  with  a  part 
of  his  staff  and  all  the  regimental  bands,  at  a  battery- 
south  of  the  Alamo  and  near  the  old  bridge,  from  which 
the  signal  was  to  be  given  by  a  bugle  note  for  the 
columns  to  move  simultaneously  at  double  quick  time 
against  different  points  of  the  fortress.  One,  composed 
mainly  of  the  battalion  of  Toluca,  was  to  enter  the  north 
breach  ;  the  other  two  to  move  against  the  southern 
side — one  to  attack  the  gate  of  the  large  area  ;  the 
other  to  storm  the  chapel.  By  the  timing  of  the  signal 
it  was  calculated  the  columns  would  reach  the  foot  of 
the  wall  just  as  it  became  light  enough  to  operate. 

"  When  the  hour  came  the  batteries  and  the  music 
were  alike  silent,  and  a  single  blast  of  the  bugle  was  at 
first  followed  by  no  sound  save  the  rushing  tramp  of 
soldiers.  The  guns  of  the  fortress  soon  opened  upon 
them,  and  then  the  bands  at  the  south  battery  struck 
up  the  assassin  note  of  deguello  !  *  But  a  few  and  not 
very  effective  discharges  from  the  works  could  be  made 
before  the  enemy  was  under  them ;  j  and  it  is  thought 

*  No  quarter. 

t  A  sergeant  of  the  Zapadores  told  me  that  the  column  he  be- 
longed to  encountered  but  one  discharge  of  grape  in  moving  up, 
and  that  passed  mostly  over  the  men's  heads. 


FALL    OF  THE  ALAMO,  235 

that  the  worn  and  wearied  garrison  was  not  till  then 
fully  mustered.  The  Toluca  column  arrived  first  at  the 
foot  of  the  wall,  but  was  not  the  first  to  enter  the  area. 
A  large  piece  of  cannon  at  the  north-west  angle  of  the 
area  probably  commanded  the  breach.  Either  this  or 
the  deadly  fire  of  the  riflemen  at  that  point,  where 
Travis  commanded  in  person,  brought  the  column  to  a 
disordered  halt,  and  its  leader,  Colonel  Duque,  fell  dan- 
gerously wounded.  But,  while  this  was  occurring,  one 
of  the  other  columns  entered  the  area  by  the  gate  or  by 
escalade  near  it.  The  defence  of  the  outer  walls  had 
now  to  be  abandoned,  and  the  garrison  took  refuge  in 
the  building  already  described.  It  was  probably  while 
the  enemy  were  pouring  in  through  the  breach  that 
Travis  fell  at  his  post,  for  his  body  was  found  beside 
the  gun  just  referred  to.  All  this  passed  within  a  few 
minutes  after  the  bugle  sounded.  The  early  loss  of  the 
outer  barrier,  so  thinly  manned,  was  inevitable  ;  and  it 
was  not  till  the  garrison  became  more  concentrated  and 
covered  in  the  inner  works,  that  the  main  struggle  com- 
menced. They  were  more  concentrated  as  to  the  space, 
not  as  to  unity  ;  for  there  was  no  communicating  between 
buildings,  nor  in  all  cases  between  rooms.  There  was 
now  no  retreating  from  point  to  point ;  and  each  group 
of  defenders  had  to  fight  and  die  in  the  den  where  it 
was  brought  to  bay.  From  the  doors,  windows,  and 
loopholes  of  the  several  rooms  around  the  area,  the 
crack  of  the  rifle  and  hiss  of  the  bullet  came  fierce  and 
fast  :  as  fast  the  enemy  fell  and  recoiled  in  his  first 
eff'orts  to  charge.  The  gun  beside  which  Travis  lay 
was  now  turned  against  the  buildings,  as  were  also  some 
others  ;  and  shot  after  shot  in  quick  succession  was  sent 
crashing  through  the  doors  and  barricades  of  the  several 
rooms.  Each  ball  was  followed  by  a  storm  of  musketry 
and  a  charge ;  and  thus  room  after  room  was  carried  at 
the  point  of  the  bayonet,  when  all  within  them  died 
fighting  to  the  last.     The  struggle  was  made  up  of  a 


236  APPENDIX. 

number  of  separate  and  desperate  combats,  often  band 
to  band,  between  squads  of  tbe  garrison  and  bodies  of 
tbe  enemy.  Tbe  bloodiest  spot  about  tbe  fortress  was 
tbe  long  barrack  and  tbe  ground  in  front  of  it,  wbere 
tbe  enemy  fell  in  beaps. 

"  In  the  mean  time  tbe  turning  of  Travis's  gun  bad 
been  imitated  by  tbe  garrison.  A  small  piece  on  tbe  roof 
of  tbe  cbapel  or  one  of  tbe  otber  buildings  was  turned 
against  tbe  area  while  tbe  rooms  were  being  stormed. 
It  did  more  execution  than  any  other  cannon  of  tbe 
fortress  ;  but,  after  a  few  effective  discharges,  all  who 
manned  it  fell  under  tbe  enemy's  fire.  Crockett  had 
taken  refuge  in  a  room  of  tbe  low  barrack  near  tbe 
gate.  He  either  garrisoned  it  alone,  or  was  left  alone 
by  tbe  fall  of  bis  companions,  when  he  sallied  to  meet 
bis  fate  in  tbe  face  of  tbe  foe,  and  was  shot  down. 
Bowie  had  been  severely  hurt  by  a  fall  from  a  platform, 
and,  when  tbe  attack  came  on,  was  confined  to  his  bed 
in  an  upper  room  of  the  barrack.  He  was  there  killed 
on  bis  coucb,  but  not  without  resistance  ;  for  he  is  said 
to  have  shot  down  with  bis  pistols  one  or  more  of  the 
enemy  as  they  entered  the  chamber. 

"  The  church  was  tbe  last  point  taken.  Tbe  column 
which  moved  against  it,  consisting  of  tbe  battalion  of 
Jimenes  and  otber  troops,  was  at  first  repulsed,  and 
took  refuge  among  some  old  bouses  outside  of  the 
barrier,  near  its  south-west  angle,  till  it  was  rallied  and 
led  on  by  General  Amador.  It  was  soon  joined  by  the 
rest  of  the  force,  and  tbe  church  was  carried  by  a  coujp 
de  main.  Its  inmates,  like  the  rest,  fought  till  the  last, 
and  continued  to  fire  from  the  upper  platforms  after  the 
enemy  occupied  the  floor  of  the  building.  A  Mexican 
officer  told  of  seeing  a  man  shot  in  tbe  crown  of  the  bead 
in  this  melee.  During  the  closing  struggle  Lieutenant 
Dickenson,  with  bis  child  in  bis  arms,  or  tied  to  bis 
back,  as  some  accounts  say,  leaped  from  an  upper  win- 
dow, and  both  were  kiUed  in  tbe  act.     Of  those  be 


FALL    OF  THE  ALAMO,  237 

left  behind  him  the  bayonet  soon  gleaned  what  the 
bullet  missed  ;  and  in  the  upper  part  of  the  church  the 
last  defender  must  have  fallen.  The  morning  breeze 
which  received  his  parting  breath  probably  still  fanned 
his  flag  above  that  fabric  ere  it  was  pulled  down  by  the 
victors.* 

"  The  Alamo  had  fallen. 

"  The  action,  according  to  Santa  Anna's  report,  lasted 
thirty  minutes.  It  was  certainly  short ;  and  possibly 
no  longer  space  passed  between  the  moment  the  enemy 
fronted  the  breach  and  that  when  resistance  died  out. 
Some  of  the  incidents  which  have  to  be  related  sepa- 
rately no  doubt  occurred  simultaneously,  and  occupied 
very  little  time. 

"  The  account  of  the  assault  which  Yoakum  and  others 
have  adopted  as  authentic,  is  evidently  one  which 
popular  tradition  has  based  on  conjecture.  By  a  rather 
natural  inference  it  assumes  that  the  enclosing  wall  of 
the  fortress  was  its  principal  work,  that  in  storming  this 
the  main  conflict  took  place,  and  that  after  it  was 
entered  nothing  more  than  the  death  struggles  of  a  few 
occurred.  The  truth  was,  that  extensive  barrier  proved 
to  be  nothing  more  than  the  outworks,  speedily  lost, 
while  the  buildings  constituted  the  citadel  and  the  scene 
of  the  sternest  resistance.  That  Santa  Anna  himself 
was  under  the  works,  urging  on  the  escalade  in  person,  is 
exceedingly  fabulous. 

"  A  negro  boy  belonging  to  Travis,  the  wife  of  Lieu- 
tenant Dickenson,  Mrs.  Alsbury  (a  native  of  St.  Antonio) 
and  another  Mexican  woman,  and  two  children,  were 
the  only  inmates  of  the  fortress  whose  lives  were  spared. 
The  children  were  those  of  the  two  females  whose  names 

*  It  is  a  fact  not  often  remembered,  that  Travis  and  his  men 
died  under  the  Mexican  Federal  flag  of  1824,  instead  of  the  "Lone 
Star,"  although  the  Independence  of  Texas,  unknown  to  them,  had 
been  declared  four  days  before.  They  died  for  a  republic  whose 
existence  they  never  knew. 


238  APPENDIX. 

are  given.  Lieutenant  Dickenson  commanded  a  gun  in 
the  east  upper  window  of  the  church.  His  family  was 
probably  in  one  of  the  two  small  upper  rooms  of  the 
front.  This  will  account  for  his  being  able  to  take  one 
of  his  children  to  the  rear  platform  while  the  building 
was  being  stormed.  A  small  irrigating  canal  runs  below 
the  window  referred  to  ;  and  his  aim,  in  the  desperate 
attempt  at  flight,  probably  was  to  break  his  fall  by 
leaping  into  the  water  ;  but  the  shower  of  bullets  which 
greeted  him  rendered  the  precaution  as  needless  as  it 
was  hopeless. 

"  About  the  time  the  outer  barriers  were  carried,  a  few 
men  leaped  from  them  and  attempted  to  escape,  but 
were  all  cut  down  by  the  cavalry.  Half  an  hour  or 
more  after  the  action  was  over  a  few  men  were  found 
concealed  in  one  of  the  rooms  under  some  mattresses; 
General  Houston,  in  a  letter  of  the  11th,  says  as  many 
as  seven ;  but  I  have  generally  heard  them  spoken  of  as 
only  three  or  four.  The  officer  to  whom  they  were  first 
reported  entreated  Santa  Anna  to  spare  their  lives ;  but 
he  was  sternly  rebuked  and  the  men  ordered  to  be  shot, 
which  was  done.  Owing  to  the  hurried  and  confused 
manner  in  which  the  mandate  was  obeyed,  a  Mexican 
soldier  was  accidentally  killed  with  them. 

"  Castrillon  was  the  soul  of  the  assault.  Santa  Anna 
remained  at  the  south  battery,  with  the  music  of  the 
whole  army  and  a  part  of  his  staff,  till  he  supposed  the 
place  was  nearly  mastered,  when  he  moved  up  with  that 
escort  towards  the  Alamo  ;  but  returned  again  on  being 
greeted  by  a  few  rifle-balls  from  the  upper  windows  of 
the  church.  He,  however,  entered  the  area  towards  the 
close  of  the  scene,  and  directed  some  of  the  last  details 
of  the  butchery. 

"  The  five  infantry  corps  that  formed  the  attacking 
force,  according  to  the  data  already  referred  to,  amounted 
to  about  2500  men.  The  number  of  Mexican  wounded, 
according  to  various  accounts,  largely  exceeded  that  of 


FALL    OF  THE  ALAMO,  239 

the  killed ;  and  the  estimates  made  of  both  by  intelli- 
gent men  who  were  in  the  action,  and  whose  candour, 
I  think,  could  be  relied  on,  rated  their  loss  at  from 
150  to  200  kiUed,  and  from  300  to  400  wounded. 
Santa  Anna's  report  is  a  piece  of  balderdash  dealing 
mostly  in  generalities.  He  sets  down  his  force  at  1400, 
his  loss  at  60  killed  and  300  wounded,  and  the  strength 
of  the  garrison,  all  told  and  all  killed,  at  600.  This 
is  about  as  reliable  as  the  legend  of  old  Texans,  that 
the  Alamo  was  stormed  by  10,000  men,  1000  of  whom 
were  slain.  The  real  loss  of  the  assailants  in  killed 
and  wounded  probably  did  not  differ  much  from  500 
men.  General  Bradburn  was  of  opinion  that  300 
men  in  that  action  were  lost  to  the  service,  counting 
with  the  killed  those  who  died  of  wounds  or  were  per- 
manently disabled.  This  agrees  with  the  other  most 
reliable  estimates.*  Now,  if  500  men  or  more  were 
bullet-stricken  in  half  an  hour  by  180  or  less,  it  was  a 
rapidity  of  bloodshed  almost  unexampled,  and  needs  no 
exaggeration.     It  was  not  the  carnage  of  pursuit  like 

*  Anselmo  Borgara,  a  Mexican,  who  first  reported  the  fall  of  the 
Alamo  to  General  Houston  at  Gonzales,  and  who  left  San  Antonio 
on  the  evening  after  it  occurred,  stated  that  the  assaulting  force 
amounted  to  about  2300  men,  of  whom  521  were  killed  and  as 
many  wounded.  He  had  probably  either  had  opportunities  of  see- 
ing and  estimating  the  bulk  of  the  besieging  force,  or  had  his 
information  on  this  point  from  those  who  had  a  tolerably  correct 
idea  of  its  strength.  It  probably  did  not  exceed  2500  men,  nor 
much  fall  below  that  number.  The  loss,  however,  is  evidently 
exaggerated,  because  it  is  simply  incredible.  We  would  have  to 
search  history  closely  to  find  where  any  troops  have  carried  a  for- 
tress with  a  loss  of  more  than  two-fifths  of  that  number.  If  there 
was  any  basis  for  this  part  of  the  statement,  it  is  probable  that  521 
was  the  entire  loss  of  killed  and  wounded,  which  at  second-hand 
would  become  that  of  killed  alone,  and  then  it  would  be  assumed 
that  the  number  of  wounded  was  equal.  General  Houston  seems  to 
have  gathered  from  this  man  the  idea  that  Travis  had  only  150 
effective  men  out  of  187. — (Letter  of  March  11th  to  Fannia.)  But 
if  none  had  fallen  up  to  the  3rd,  the  effective  force  could  hardly 
have  been  reduced  so  much  in  the  next  two  days  and  nights. 


240  APPENDIX. 

that  of  San  Jacinto,  nor  the  sweeping  effect  of  cannon 
under  favourable  circumstances  like  that  of  Sandusky. 
The  main  element  of  the  defence  was  the  individual 
valour  and  skill  of  men  who  had  few  advantages  of 
fortification,  ordnance,  discipline,  or  command.  All 
their  deficiencies,  which  were  glaring,  serve  only  to 
enhance  the  one  merit,  in  which  no  veterans  could  have 
excelled  them.  It  required  bravery  even  in  greatly 
superior  numbers  to  overcome  a  resistance  so  deter- 
mined. The  Mexican  troops  displayed  more  of  it  in 
this  assault  than  in  any  other  action  during  the  cam- 
paign ;  and  they  have  seldom  shown  as  much  anywhere. 
"  Santa  Anna,  when  he  marched  for  Texas,  had  counted 
on  finding  a  fortified  position  in  the  neighbourhood  of 
San  Antonio,  but  not  at  the  Alamo  ;  for  he  supposed, 
with  good  reason,  that  the  Mission  of  Concepcion  would 
be  selected.  The  small  area  of  that  strong  building, 
which  had  room  enough  for  Travis's  force  and  not  too 
much,  and  its  compactness,  which  would  have  given 
better  range  to  his  cannon,  would  have  made  it  a  far 
better  fortress  than  the  Alamo  ;  and  earthworks  of  no 
great  extent  would  have  covered  the  garrison's  access  to 
the  river.  The  advantages  of  the  position  must  have 
been  known  to  Travis,  and  that  he  did  not  avail  himself 
of  it  was  probably  owing  to  his  imperfect  command  of 
men  unwilling  to  leave  their  town  associations.  An 
attempt  to  move  might  break  up  the  garrison.  The 
neglect  of  scouting  service,  before  referred  to,  indicates 
a  great  lack  of  subordination,  for  Travis,  who  during  the 
late  siege  of  Bexar  had  been  the  efiicient  head  of  that 
branch  of  duty,  must  have  been  aware  of  its  importance. 
On  the  24th  of  February  he  wrote  thus  :  '  When  the 
enemy  appeared  in  sight  we  had  not  three  bushels  of 
com.  We  have  since  found  in  deserted  houses  eighty 
or  ninety  bushels,  and  got  into  the  walls  twenty  or 
thirty  head  of  beeves.'  This  omission  to  provide, 
remedied  so  late  by  accident,  must  have  been  more  owing 


FALL   OF  THE  ALAMO,  241 

to  the  commander's  lack  of  control  and  to  the  occupa- 
tion of  mind  incident  to  it,  than  to  his  want  of  fore- 
sight. His  men  were  willing  to  die  by  him,  but,  I 
infer,  not  ready  to  obey  in  what  did  not  immediately 
concern  fighting. 

"I  am  here  tempted  to  speculate  briefly  on  the  bearing 
which  it  might  have  had  on  the  campaign,  had  Travis 
changed  his  post  to  the  Mission,  strengthened  it  to  the 
best  of  his  ability,  and  secured  a  supply  of  provisions 
for  a  few  weeks.  The  great  importance  Santa  Anna 
attached  to  an  early  blow  and  rapid  movement  would 
probably  have  induced  him  to  make  an  assault  there  as 
early,  or  nearly  so,  as  he  did  at  the  Alamo ;  and  there, 
even  had  his  force  been  stronger,  I  am  confident  the 
result  would  have  been  different.  Instead  of  the  panic 
which  the  fall  of  the  Alamo  spread  through  the  land, 
sending  fugitives  to  the  Sabine,  a  bloody  repulse  from 
Concepcion  would  have  filled  Texas  with  exultation, 
and  sent  its  men  in  crowds  to  Houston's  camp.  The 
fortress  could  then  have  held  out  till  relieved  ;  and  the 
war  would  probably  have  been  finished  west  of  the 
Guadalupe.  Its  final  results  could  not  have  been  more 
disastrous  to  the  invaders  than  they  eventually  were  ; 
but  a  large  extent  of  country  would  have  been  saved 
from  invasion  and  partial  devastation. 

"  A  military  lesson  may  be  derived  from  the  fall  of 
the  Alamo.  Among  the  essential  qualities  of  a  perfect 
soldier  we  must  consider,  not  only  the  discipline  and 
subordination  which  blend  him  with  the  mass  in  which 
the  word  of  command  moves  him,  but  also  the  indi- 
vidual seK-reliance  and  efiiciency  which  may  restore 
the  battle  after  the  mass  is  broken.  From  the  lack  of 
the  former  quality  the  men  of  the  Alamo  were  lost ;  by 
their  possession  of  the  latter  they  became,  in  the  last 
struggle,  as  formidable  as  veterans  and  died  gloriously, 
and  in  a  better  position  they  would  have  been  saved  by 
it.     Though  the  latter  quality  depends  more  on  nature 


242  APPENDIX. 

than  tlie  former,  it  admits  of  development,  and  the 
perfection  of  training  neglects  neither. 

"Of  the  foregoing  details  which  do  not  refer  to 
documentary  authority  I  obtained  many  from  General 
Bradbum,  who  arrived  at  San  Antonio  a  few  days  after 
the  action,  and  gathered  them  from  officers  who  were 
in  it.  A  few  I  had  through  a  friend  from  General 
Amador.  Others,  again,  I  received  from  three  intelligent 
sergeants,  who  were  men  of  fair  education  and,  I  think, 
truthful.  One  of  them,  Sergeant  Becero,  of  the  bat- 
talion of  Matamoros,  who  was  captured  at  San  Jacinto, 
was  for  several  years  my  servant  in  Texas.  From  men 
of  their  class  I  could  generally  get  more  candid  state- 
ments as  to  loss  and  other  matters  than  from  commis- 
sioned officers.  I  have  also  gathered  some  minor 
particulars  from  local  tradition  preserved  among  the 
residents  of  this  town.  When  most  of  the  details  thus 
learned  were  acquired  I  had  not  seen  the  locality ;  and 
hence  I  have  to  locate  some  of  the  occurrences  by 
inference,  which  I  have  done  carefully  and,  I  think, 
correctly. 

"  The  stranger  will  naturally  inquire,  *  Where  lie  the 
heroes  of  the  Alamo  % '  and  Texas  can  only  reply  by  a 
silent  blush.  A  few  hours  after  the  action,  the  bodies 
of  the  slaughtered  garrison  were  gathered  up  by  the 
victors,  laid  in  three  piles,  mingled  with  fuel,  and 
burned.*  On  the  25th  of  February,  near  a  year  after, 
their  bones  and  ashes  were  collected,  placed  in  a  coffin, 
and  interred  with  due  solemnity,  and  with  military 
honours,  by  Colonel  Seguin  and  his  command.  The 
place  of  burial  was  in  what  was  then  a  peach  orchard 
outside  the  town  and  a  few  hundred  yards  from  the 
Alamo.  It  is  now  a  large  enclosed  lot  in  the  midst  of 
the  Alamo  suburb,  but  has  fortunately  not  been  built 
upon.     The  rude  landmarks  which  once  designated  the 

*  Their  own  dead  were  carted  across  the  San  Pedro  and  bui'ied. 


FALL    OF  THE  ALAMO.  243 

place  of  burial  have  long  since  disappeared,  and  it 
would  now  require  diligent  search  to  find  the  exact 
locality.  It  is  to  be  hoped  that  search  will  not  be 
delayed  till  it  is  too  late. 

"The  Government  of  the  State  of  Texas  has  never 
secured  or  preserved  but  one  memento  of  the  Alamo. 
A  small  but  finely  executed  monument  was  made  from 
the  stones  of  the  fortress  in  1841  by  an  artist  named 
Nangle  ;  and,  after  lying  long  neglected,  it  was  pur- 
chased by  the  State.  It  now  stands  in  the  haU  of  the 
Capitol  at  Austin ;  but  neither  at  the  Alamo  itself,  nor 
at  the  forgotten  grave  of  its  defenders,  does  any  legend 
or  device,  like  the  stone  of  Thermopylae,  remind  the 
stranger  of  those  who  died  for  their  country's  rights." 


THE   END. 


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